Slayer or Savior?
by Raptor-Chick
Summary: Sequel to X13. X13's Hive is threatened by government hired Bug Hunters and a government Xenomorph expert. Can she convince the humans to allow them to remain? Or is a Hive on Earth too great a danger? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_Yes. This is the long awaited sequel to X-13. Be happy. I have a minor block on Return to Earth so I decided to post this so you will not be too deprived. Please tell moi what you think of this chapter so far in a handy little review; I can see all those lurkers, so be warned. I know where you liiiive… Not really, but please review anyway. I found out that Jhonen Vasquez is a fan of Aliens! Therefore, all Aliens stuff is now a million times cooler._

_Disclaimer of Doom: I own nothing but X-13 and the personalities of various Xenomorph characters. They are all products of my deranged mind, so beware my characters for they shall kill thieves of my work. Umm, except for the creators of Aliens. They can steal all they want because they own Xenomorphs. That is all._

Chapter one

"Gentlemen, I have gathered you here to discuss an urgent issue." General Nigel Bowie said, addressing an assembled group of high ranking military and government officials. He pressed a button on the remote held loosely in his right hand. A large television screen behind him switched on. It displayed a graph. Numerous blue bars marched across the screen. At the end they spiked upwards sharply, turning red and remaining at that level. The red bars were also fairly uniform. "This is the missing persons graph for the town of Boil. Notice how it remains fairly constant for about a decade, then spikes in the last few six months or so?" One of the men raised his eyebrow and sighed in boredom. Bowie glared over his grey beard and pressed the button again. Another graph came up. This one was much the same. "And this is the missing persons graph for the village of Redlake. The same spike is also present." He started walking around the room, slowly making his way around the table. "And now the anomaly. Most missing people are children and women, sometimes young adults. Besides the fact that the number is abnormally high, all the missing people are men, usually between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-five. They are often single or without children. These two towns are approximately twenty-six miles apart. Rather strange coincidence isn't it?" General Bowie said with a smug smirk. He pressed another button. This time the screen was filled with the image of a glistening black, insect-like creature.

"This is a Xenomorph, often known as a Bug to less educated individuals." He gave some of the members of the military a smirk. "This variation is known as a Drone. It is the most common type." Bowie pulled a small metal rod from his pocket, extending it to several feet long and jabbing it at the Xenomorph's head. "Xenomorphs are blind. However, they possess fine hearing and a powerful sense of smell, comparable to that of a dog's. They have heat-sensing organs here, here and here." He indicated the forepaws, hindpaws and end of the tail. "They also have them on the head, especially near the mouth. Experiments have shown that they can sense a human by heat alone from a distance of over fifteen feet. Xenomorphs also have the most sensitive pressure detecting organs known to any creature, Terran or extraterrestrial. The only creature that has a system as complex as theirs is the shark. Even so, theirs are designed for water and they are not nearly as acute. The organs are set on the front, back and sides of the head as well as on the back spikes and along the sides like the lateral line on a fish. All these senses unite to give the Xenomorph a perfect picture of their environment. They are not fooled by camouflage, heat suits or by remaining immobile. Xenomorphs communicate by telepathy. This has been proven." he growled sternly, cutting off the protesting remark from the bored officer. "At least one Xenomorph is always near the entrance to the Hive. If something enters, all other Xenomorphs know instantly. Drones, while intelligent enough to solve simple problems, are not the brainiest beings. They are hampered by the fact that they share a mind with all other Drones and have no way to separate themselves from the collective. They do not think of themselves as individuals and never put themselves before the rest of the Hive. They are single minded and do not think creatively to solve problems. Drones born away from the Hive are more intelligent and even when placed back into a Hive, still have a sense of self. The other types of Xenomorph known as Runners or Warriors are only variations of Drones, caused when they breed in a different life form. Now, the next is called a Praetorian, also known as a Royal Guard, also known as one big motherfucker." This earned a few laughs, albeit nervous ones. The men gaped as a new picture filled the screen. It was much larger and more muscular, the head was heavily ridged, the tail bore larger spikes and a larger barb. While all the men had seen preserved facehuggers, eggs, chestbursters in various stages of development and parts of Drones, few had ever seen even a skull of a Praetorian. The closest they had come to a whole Xenomorph was a whole preserved Drone.

"Praetorians are much smarter than the Drone. They are much more aggressive and larger and much rarer. They share a mind with the other Praetorians and can block themselves from the minds of the Drones. They can solve much more complex problems, showing that they have near-human intelligence. They can even direct Drones in attacks. Praetorians have two sexes, unlike the wholly female and sterile Drones. Praetorians are sterile until the Queen dies, at which point the most dominant female Praetorian cocoons and metamorphs into a Queen. This only occurs when there are no Queen eggs or facehuggers. Praetorian Queens are slightly smaller and less intelligent, though only marginally. The reproductive rate is slower." A new image appeared. It was again slightly larger than the previous one, a small crest on its head.

"This is a King. This is what the male Praetorian will morph into when the previous King dies. Again, only the most dominant Praetorian will change-at least in the wild, though we have discovered it is more linked to which male mates with the Queen first. They have a definite sense of self and possess human-level intelligence. They can solve complex problems, though their thought process is sometimes hampered by their extreme levels of aggression and protectiveness." He pressed the button a final time. This time, several men actually gasped.

"This is a Queen. Her intelligence is human-level or higher. She solves complex problems with ease, when she feels like it. Queens are not the easiest to study. Her size also hampers her ability to solve problems." Indeed, the Queen was about the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "She can guide Drones or Praetorians to aid her when she cannot do something herself. Queens are endlessly fertile-it is not known the limit of her egg-laying abilities. We do not know how long she can go between matings and still lay. Usually, when one is unfortunate enough to see a Queen she is suspended from the ceiling of the inner chamber with a large egg-sack attached behind her." He pointed to the egg-sack. "Queens can pull themselves free of this when the need arises. They only do it when they have no other choice as it is expensive energy wise, is painful to do and ensures that she must mate again before resuming her egg laying duties. Few have ever seen this happen and survive. Queens are linked mentally with all other Xenomorphs in her Hive. She even feels their pain. They can feel hers too if she is too distraught to block it from them." General Bowie shut off the television and stood back, looking knowing. A lesser ranked officer leant forwards and cleared his throat, looking irritated.

"Sir, we know all this. What is the point of telling us again? You call us down here to tell us about vanished rednecks and extraterrestrials that are a hazard only to planetary colonies? Some of us have important places to be, not in a refresher course for what we learned years ago. _Sir._" There were a few muttered agreements and nods. "Why do we have to know this?"

"Because," Bowie said, placing his hands on the table top and grinning horribly. "There is a Hive of these on Earth right now."


	2. Chapter 2

_More Xenomorph goodies for you! I don't really know all the ranks in the military and whatnot, so correct me if I am wrong. Ummm, what else to put here? Ooh, I got a job! Good for the money, bad for the spare time. I am also entering in an art contest for MGC this month and I have to work on Return to Earth and I have to work on Tale of a Mutate… Yar, I need a clone.(buries head in hands)Either that or a spiffy little watch like in Clockstoppers._

_Disclaimer of insanity: I own nothing but the human characters, X-13, Ebony and the personalities of my Xenos. Use without permission and suffer my awesome wrath of doom and stuff._

_Yeesh, only three reviews! Review more or also suffer my wrath! I know you are there with my friend the hit counter._

_Dawley: Thanks!_

_Psy. Belmont: I'm glad you are so happy that I decided to be slightly motivated! Scary enthusiasm there. Take a few deep breaths maybe. LOL!_

_Thunder Demon: You think? What do you mean about tread? I confused._

Chapter 2

X-13 lay on her side in the large storeroom she had designated her inner sanctum. She was wrapped in blankets because her belly was now far too bloated to allow her to wear any of her black spandex suits and she was not so resistant to cold as the other Xenomorphs. One lay curled around her back, dozing, his rhythmic breaths huffing gently onto the back of her head, soothing her into drowsiness despite her discomfort. Hive life was stable; no human had bothered them since the last few had expired in their little emergency armored rooms. Deep in her abdomen, X-13's daughter squirmed. She smiled, closing her large eyes and dropping into sleep.

…..

Something rippled down her spine, compressing her belly. X-13 awoke with a gasp and panting, trying to figure out what woke her. One nudged her. Giving a mental shrug, X13 decided it was nothing and squirmed slightly, trying to get comfortable again. Just when she was teetering on the edge of the long smooth slide of sleep, her belly rippled again, more insistently. She sucked in a breath. What was happening to her? It came again, quicker, stronger, lasting longer. X-13 whimpered, fear surging through her body.

: MATRIARCH? WHAT IS HAPPENING: sent One with concern.

"I-" She cut off, gripping her stomach with her long, slender hands. "I Do Not Know… Wait! I Think The Child Is Coming!" X-13 realized that her fear was not just her own. One hissed softly, nuzzling her, then pressing his forehead and upper lip against her belly, sensing the child within.

: YES. THE CHILD IS COMING. DO NOT BE AFRAID, MATRIARCH.: X-13 took a deep breath, willing away her fear and trying to calm her daughter when another contraction clenched her body. She hissed and rolled onto her back, leaning against the now sitting One's chest. The contractions strengthened, her excitement fleeing before the ravening monster that was fear. She moaned, twisting halfway into a weak cry. One echoed her softly, his close mental bond letting him feel the same. X-13 tried to stifle her pained cries and block her fear, but each time she tried, another ripple would come and destroy her concentration, preventing her from sealing her mind away. With the next contraction, her water broke, gushing over her feet and wetting the twisted blankets. Her instincts took over and she pushed hard with the next wave. Slowly, slowly, she birthed her daughter, screaming her pain. The entire Hive echoed her in their own harsh voices, clenching their own bodies in response, clutching the air with their talons.

…..

General Bowie was once again back in front of an assembled group of military and government officials. He stood perfectly straight, his dark green uniform hugging his thick body exactly. The screen bore a picture of X-13 this time. She floated in a huge test tube, sensors and wires stuck all along her head and body, an intravenous needle inserted in her wrist. Her eyes were shut, face peaceful.

"This is what the late Joshua Hager created. He melded the DNA of a Xenomorph with a human together, intending to create the perfect assassin and perfect Xenomorph killer. He was unsuccessful twelve times. The thirteenth time was a success. It was strong, healthy and perfectly formed." Images flashed over the screen; previous experiments, twisted and deformed.

"His idea was brilliant; make something that looked like a Xenomorph, was as strong as a Xenomorph, but sympathized with humans. Send it in to kill the Queen and most of the Praetorians, then let conventional soldiers clean up the disoriented Xenos. Your assassin would be able to infiltrate Hive after Hive and never risk death at the claws of the Xenomorphs. It would be stealthy and intelligent enough to kill even the best guarded of enemies. He made one massive mistake. He treated it like it was his own human child. In a way it was. He had used his own DNA for the human half, but that shouldn't have mattered." He flipped the television screen to a picture of X-13 when she was still in the lab. She was sitting on the floor of her room, a blanket draped over her shoulders, a slight smile on her not quite Xenomorph mouth. The impatient officer raised his brows.

"Doesn't look too dangerous to me, sir. You could almost say it was cute with those big eyes. Like a big puppy, sir." Bowie continued along, pretending not to hear the comment.

"Once it found out what it was created for, the experiment lashed out. It brought a wounded Praetorian on board as well as an egg. Under Hager's orders, they were not terminated as they should have been. He paid for his mistake by being impregnated. The chestburster was later successfully removed, but complications arose later. He had borne the chestburster longer than any other survivor and it changed him. Or more specifically, his DNA. Without the chestburster to regulate some hormones and other functions of the body that it had taken over, Hager's own body began to reject itself. The altered DNA and cells began attacking the newly created, normal ones. Traditional gene therapy did not work, so to prevent the greatest Xenomorph geneticist from dying, they tried the only thing they could think of. They used Xenomorph DNA. It worked, but Hager's behavior and personality begun to change. He became much more aggressive, territorial and short tempered. Before the full range effects could be seen and documented, the experiment and over twenty other Xenomorphs escaped."

"Sir, how could that happen? I have read that when Bu-Xenomorphs are caged together, the dominant ones always kill the lowest on the pecking order and escape. I saw the report. These were caged alone." said a colonel.

"That's true. It seems that the experiment told them to cut themselves and bleed on the metal gratings. Like I said earlier, Queens can guide other Xenomorphs to do things that they cannot. The experiment was an extremely skilled problem solver. Dr. Hager taught it to be that way. After the escape, the majority of the scientists in the laboratory were killed within a few hours. The last survivors managed to survive three days more before we lost contact. That lab contains the largest concentration of Xeno eggs outside of a Hive. There were hundreds. If I had my way, that lab never would have gotten started. The stupidest idea in the world is bringing vicious aliens to Earth. I do not know how many scientists or missing civilians were impregnated, but I do know they must be stopped."

…..

X-13 cooed at the tiny Xenomorph cradled in her arms. One peered over her shoulder and rumbled his approval. Her daughter was glistening black all over, though when she had just been birthed, her chiton was dark gray and soft. Now she was armored and shining with iridescence. She had eyes though, longer and more slanted than X-13's and her body had a distinctly human look about it. She was shorter limbed and slightly round bodied, but something told X-13 that this was normal. Many of her spines and ridges were greatly reduced, some missing altogether. They should grow eventually though. She named the child Ebony. She blinked her over large eyes slowly.

"HUNGRY." she sent, a note of urgency in her childish mental voice. One nuzzled X-13 and Ebony then stood and scaled the wall, disappearing into a tunnel. He returned minutes later, fresh meat clenched in his jaws, dripping blood. The two new parents ripped off slender strips and took turns feeding the child and each other, rumbling contentedly all the while.

"My Daughter… My Ebony…" X-13 whispered gently, rocking Ebony slightly and tweaking a corner of blanket more securely about her tiny form. She cuddled against One.

: SHE IS SMALL, BUT SHE WILL BE STRONG. SHE WILL BE A DEADLY KILLER.: Slowly, the other Praetorians and several of the Drones slunk into the room, arranging themselves on the floor and even the walls and ceiling, surrounding the Matriarch and Patriarch.

: PROTECT MATRIARCH.: they chorused as one. : PROTECT PATRIARCH. PROTECT THE CHILD.:


	3. Chapter 3

_No X-13 in this chapter, but it is very important, so read and review anyway!_

_Disclaimer of Hilarity: I own nothing but my various human characters, X-13, Ebony and the personalities of my Xeno characters. Nothing else belongs to me, so yeah, don't sue._

Chapter three

Cal Wood nervously swallowed and adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. He didn't like speaking in front of people and this crowd was one of the worst, if not _the _worst. Grouped about the table were ten of the scariest men and women he had ever seen. Tattooed, pierced, scarred and unshaven. They wore leather, denim, old army uniforms and body armor. A few had missing fingers and one had a vacant eye socket. All of them bore pits, burn scars and old claw marks. They glared at Cal and General Bowie while glancing and muttering at each other. Turning on the screen behind him, he got their attention. It showed a video of X-13 putting a gun together, X-13 exercising, X-13 running and playing and training.

"This is Experiment Thirteen. You have already been briefed on her origins and her escape as well as some of her skills. I will present some of my own theories on her behavior that I have devised. As you-"

"We already fucking know about Bugs. Just tell us where they are." interrupted one of the rough-looking men, a red haired man. Cal clenched his teeth. He hated being interrupted; especially after getting his courage worked up to actually start talking.

"As I was about to say before, I am Doctor Cal Wood, expert on Xenomorphs and their behavior. In this government facility there are hundreds of eggs. However, not enough humans were employed at the facility to serve as hosts for the entire population of eggs contained there." Several scowled, disliking the way he referred to the dead humans as simple 'hosts'. "All of the missing persons would also have not been able to serve as hosts for the entire amount. I believe that X-13 is not capturing humans to increase her Xenomorph population, but simply to feed them. I think that if you examine the wildlife population around the facility, you would also find it reduced." Cal began pacing the floor in front of the table, getting into his speech, most of his anxiety fading. "The humans killed are almost all single males. This was not a coincidence. She did not want to leave any orphans or widows."

A stocky, muscular woman with brown dreadlocks and a scar stretching diagonally across her face spoke up over the gum she was noisily masticating. "Listen dude. I know you've based your entire life thinking up theories about those things, but I've seen what they can do and caring about the families of the victims they leave is not a concern. Once you've seen them in action, you lose all love and admiration for the species if you are a normal person. Have you even seen battle? No, stupid question. Have you ever seen a live, healthy warrior? They are very different from the half-dead things that you guys keep dragging in."

"X-13 isn't a normal Xenomorph. She is partly human and highly intelligent in our fashion. Besides, we have never observed them in their natural habitat without disturbing them and provoking an aggressive defensive response, so we do not know how intelligent they are. I think that X-13 can not only communicate telepathically with us, but also pick up on what we are thinking and feeling at the moment, so she chose her victims that way. X-13 can devise complex strategy, so if we are forced to eliminate all of them, I suggest that we do not rush in, guns blazing."

"What do you mean, 'if'?" It was the stocky woman again.

"What was your name again? I didn't catch it."

"I'm Ariana Hyde. I am the leader and if our services aren't needed, we're leaving!"

"I want to see if it is possible to reason with her. If I can, I want this to be as non-violent as possible." Nasty comments muttered their way up and down the table, joined by malicious sniggers. Cal sighed and ran a hand through his short, curly black hair.

"We are going into a Hive. It's not gonna happen without violence. And what do you mean, 'we'? You're not going in there."

"I am afraid so, Hyde. This is a great opportunity for study and will not be wasted. He co-leads with you." Bowie said. Hyde growled and popped a bubble menacingly. She stood up to leave. The rest of the group followed her lead.

General Bowie said quietly and threateningly, "Not only has the government paid you in advance and quite lavishly, but we are willing to forget all your past crimes, numerous in quantity and sinister in nature though they may be. How far do you think that you will get before being arrested or shot? This is an army base. Answer me honestly. I suggest you sit down or you'll spend the rest of your lives in a maximum security penitentiary." Hyde looked like she wished to tell the older man where to put his penitentiary, but changed her mind and reluctantly sat down. "Now, Dr. Wood, if you may continue?"

…..

Several hours later, they were in the armory, being outfitted for the mission. "Plenty of assholes here, but you do get some nice hardware." remarked Hyde, admiring a large machine gun. She took it off the rack and began observing it more closely. A huge, burly man with close-cropped blonde hair and a large, pink puckered scar marring his chiseled face from the corner of his left eye, over his ear and down his neck into his shirt made an appreciative noise as he pulled a huge flamethrower off the wall.

"You like, Skeleton?" asked a rat-like man with a pointed black beard.

"Yes. Very much." he rumbled through a thick French accent. "I can burn up zem damn Bugs pretty good, _oui_?"

"Uh, I don't know if you want to do that. Those Hives are sort of, um, flammable." Cal said tentatively, uncomfortable in the new combat armor he was wearing. It suited his tall, dancer's frame badly.

"Zat makes our job easier." he replied. "What are you wearing?"

"It's acid-resistant combat armor. You're all wearing it."

The big man made a face. "_Non_. You could not catch me dead in it. No wonder you government types are always being killed with that to weigh you down." Hyde thumped him on the shoulder.

"Just do it, Andre." she muttered. "Kid," the tough woman said, "I'm gonna say something to you and you'd better listen good. You are not battle ready. You are so green that if I cut you, you'd bleed sap. Get out now while you still have a chance." She tipped her head to the side and said on an after thought, "Have you even fired a gun before?"

Cal scowled. "Yeah. I'm as good as the soldiers in the range." She smiled. It was not a nice smile.

"Let's see how well you do in semi-darkness against targets that move like lightening in a hot, damp, noisy environment weighed down with equipment. Those soldiers can't shoot shit." And then she walked away, spinning a hand gun on one finger.

…..

Cal gave a stiff salute from the doorway in the belly of a large transport plane as the door slowly shut. He sighed once it snapped shut and relaxed. Walking over to one of the chairs that lined the walls of the aircraft, he sat down with a thump. Seventeen eyes stared back at him.

"Kid. Now I'm gonna finish what I started to say to you before now that we are away from that bastard Bowie. We are professionals and if you endanger this mission in any way, or get underfoot, I'll shoot you myself. If your stupidity causes me to lose some of my men, I'll shoot you. If those Aliens snag you, we'll leave you there. No suicidal rescues." Cal glared but didn't dare to say anything. Hyde turned away and promptly began to ignore everyone. As the plane taxied down the runway, a blonde woman who seemed far too young to belong to the team sidled over, lurching slightly as the plane took off. She sat next to him.

"I'm Jennelle Walsh. Don't worry about Hyde. She doesn't appreciate someone with no combat skills sharing her power on a mission." Cal took her hand as she offered it. It was rough and her grip was powerful. She was very strong and Australian too, he noted.

"Who is everyone on the team?" he asked. "I didn't catch all the names."

"That guy there, the ratty, sneaky lookin' guy is Brent Knox. Watch everything that can fit in a pocket and don't get on his bad side. The huge guy with the scar is Andre 'Skeleton' Skeffington."

"Why 'Skeleton'?" "It's cuz he's so big. It's funny. Skeleton is easy-going, so don't worry about him. The fellow just likes blastin' Bugs and a pint now and then. Mr. Eyepatch is Derrick Lindstrom. Nothing really special about him, 'cept he's missing two and a half fingers and four toes on one foot. And he's permanently angry. He's a former colonist who lost his family to those nasty critters. Only dumb-luck has kept him alive this long. Vlad Markovic is the big, red-headed Russian that looks like a Viking. He's like Skeleton but much dumber. The Jap's name is Ryu Kurosawa. A former sniper for the army, he's a bit odd. Ryu is into the Bushido Samurai thing and has a hair-trigger temper and sense of humor. I've seen someone who's pissed him off more than once, so watch out for his moods. Henry 'Conan' Coenen is the skinny, nervous lookin' guy with the deathgrip on the Uzi. He looks like a weakling, but he's not. The dark-haired guy with the tattooed arms and many piercings is Raymond Raymondi; he's pretty good in a fight, but you can't go in front of him or he'll shoot through you to get the Bugs. The last guy is Edward Friedrich. Hyde an' him have got soft spots for each other. So, now you know all of us. Just remember to stay away from the ones I warned you about, alright, mate?"

"Alright." he murmured, head spinning from the flood of information. Sighing, he leaned back against the uncomfortable seat and attempted to sleep.

…..

He must have been successful, because the next thing he knew, someone had kicked his boot and startled him into consciousness.

For a moment, he thought it was an accident, but the rat-like man, Knox was it? shot him a sneering grin and said, "Get your shit together. It's an aerial drop and we're almost there." He sidled off with a smirk and shouldered a large pack, fastening it tightly. Cal moaned unhappily and went over to where the others were putting on their chutes. They glanced at him and laughed. Cal blinked and looked behind him. The plane was empty. Then he noticed they had drawn on his armor and stuck a sticker of a severed, drooling and bleeding Xenomorph head surrounded with a red circle and cut diagonally with a red bar on his shoulder piece. The caption below it read 'Who you gonna call? Xeno busters!' He looked at the armor. 'Greenhorn' was written across his chest in bright emerald paint, 'Fresh Meat' was written below that and 'Xeno Bait' as well. Several other much ruder sayings were also scrawled on the black armor. The rest of the team had decorated armor too, but it was not derogatory. He grimaced and put on his parachute.

"Hey Hyde! Why couldn't we have gotten dropped off properly, not literally?" called Walsh.

"The fucking government doesn't want to endanger their soldiers, so they sent out us and are booting our sorry asses out of the plane." A door opened in the back of the plane and one by one, they hurled themselves from the safety of the aircraft to uncertainty and danger below.


	4. Chapter 4

_Whee! I cut off two feet of my hair! Now it's shoulder length and I can do stuff with it! I'm ever so excited. I's gonna get me some dark/bright red streaks put it, I think. Yep. Ahem, well back to stuff actually pertaining to my story. Um… Um… Boy, I'm tired. Eh, I see how many of you read this, so please review. This means you, Beast-Child. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer of Redundancy: I own nothing but X-13, Ebony, the human characters and the personalities of my Xenomorph characters. Everything else belongs to other people. Steal my stuff and I'll make you eat your own ear._

Chapter 4

Cal landed heavily, staggering slightly. He unclipped his chute as it came down behind him. The slender man turned slowly, surveying his surroundings. An unfortunate wind had blown them a couple miles from the building, so they had a long hike ahead of them. He sighed. It was a pity they couldn't be dropped off closer, preferably by car, but Xenomorphs often burrowed under huge tracts of land and they didn't know if it would hold the weight of the heavy armored cars. The area around Hives on colonized planets was often prone to collapses. Plus, the armored vehicles often broke axels on rough ground and they were poorly protected underneath. The Xenos always discovered this eventually and ripped up into the cab, killing the trapped occupants as they struggled in vain like fish trapped in a net. They were being recalled now, but that wouldn't bring back the many victims of the poor design. Cal re-adjusted the straps of his pack, glancing at the Bug Hunters.

Hyde called out, "Alright! Let's get moving! We don't want to be stuck out here in the dark!" They muttered and started off.

"Um… Yeah. What she said." Cal said, trying to sound like a co-leader would. They ignored him and he slumped, trudging after them. Skeleton and Janelle Walsh fell behind to walk with him.

"Don't feel bad, little man." The big French-Canadian said, thumping him on the shoulder and nearly causing his knees to buckle. "You try much too hard. You are not a born leader, like Hyde."

Walsh patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, mate. She'll loosen up after blastin' some Buggies. She's got her panties in a wad cuz of the government interfering. And don't try to lead. Everything will work better if you follow."

"Um, thanks. I think…" Cal said softly. He adjusted his glasses and increased his pace to that of the mercenaries.

…..

A couple of hours later, they reached the compound. It loomed up out of the scattered trees strangely. The grounds must have been fine looking at one point, but now they were overgrown and messy. Amazingly, some lights still burned in the windows.

"What the fuck?" said Friedrich, blinking at it.

"Wood. Explain." barked Hyde.

He hurried up, pushing his glasses up his nose for what felt like the millionth time. He rubbed his sleeve across his shiny black forehead as he thought out an answer. "I read in the report that this facility is powered by geo-thermal. The system is almost completely independent and contained. Very cheap and low-maintenance. I'm not surprised it's still working." Hyde grunted, possibly in satisfaction and sauntered up to the doors. She discovered they were locked and gestured Vlad over. He cracked his neck, looked over the doors and slammed his bulk into them. They shuddered and cracked. He repeated the movement and burst them wide open. He smiled and cracked his neck again, entering the gloomy entrance hall confidently.

"Who needs to use explosives when we've got him?" Walsh quipped with a smirk. Cal smiled back. Apparently the lights didn't work here, he noticed.

From the bloody light of dusk, Cal saw the entrance hall and the damage the Xenos had done to it. Most of the walls and ceiling and a good portion of the floor were covered in the black resin they secreted. What remained was scored with talon marks and pitted with bullet holes and blood. A few humans who had not become entrapped in the so-called 'safe' rooms had made a last-ditch attempt to escape. They failed and even now, Cal thought he could see the brown stains of their blood scattered here and there on the polished wood floor like cankerous flaws in the wood itself. Knox whistled appreciatively at the splendor of this place, still visible despite the dim light and industrious work of the Xenomorphs. Polished granite pillars stretched up to the high ceiling and now tarnished brass sconces were set at intervals along the paneled walls. It was very different from the sterile simplicity of the rest of the compound.

"They must've been tryin' to impress somebody." The rat-like man said to no one in particular.

"Shut up and quit dawdling." Hyde growled, gripping her gun tighter. "The Bugs already know we are here. I saw a guard go scurrying off. We'd better get out of here before re-enforcements come… Unless Mr. Wood here would rather have us stay and be slaughtered while he tries to commune with them… Well? Waddiasay?" He colored and ducked his head, following behind the hunters. Even Walsh and Skeleton had drifted further up, readying their weapons. He tightened his hold on his own machine gun, sweating in the heat of the Hive. It did no good however, since it was terribly humid as well. "WOOD!" Ariana Hyde yelled. "Why is it so hot too? None of the fake Hives I've been to have been this warm!"

"It's because of the geo-thermal." he replied, irritated with her manner, though not enough to say anything.

"That's a pity." chirped Walsh. "I was hoping this would be an easy mission." They groaned and rolled their eyes; they'd all heard the Australian woman's sarcastic humor far too often. Hyde again employed Vlad's bulk to break open another door, bringing them into the practical area of the lab and out of the area for receiving guests. They now had to descend into the far more dangerous underbelly of the compound. The door of a stairwell half hung off its hinges. Hyde led them in. The Bug Hunters got about halfway down when a faint hiss froze them where they stood.

A Drone clung to the wall of the stairwell, above and behind them. In the instant it took them to turn, the deadly black beast had leaped, screaming hoarsely! Almost immediately its head exploded in a slimy yellow fountain, dropping it onto the stairs. The blood began chewing through the metal, making a gap far too large to leap.

"Fuck!" someone swore as another skittered across the walls. Flashlights danced over glistening black armor as it darted along the walls. It was definitely older and more experienced with guns. It leaped, bullets tearing into its bony torso! Still it came, landing on Vlad. The huge Russian screamed as first the claws ripped into him, then the blood, searing away his midsection even with the body armor. It wasn't built for so much acid.

"SHIT! FOLLOW ME!" Hyde screamed, hurtling lower as a third, larger assailant pounced. This one did not attack the center of the group, and instead went for the side. Raymondi was the target. The Xeno split his thigh open from hip to knee, neatly as someone would slice cheese. It turned and paused and… fled. Into an airshaft as more bullets bit into the wall behind it. In his panic, Cal wasn't sure if any had hit it.

"Get moving, you sorry sacks of shit!" Friedrich roared. "Down the stairs! NOW!" The Bug Hunters didn't have to be told twice. They pounded down the stairs and into a hall that was completely coated in resin. Lights still buzzed here and there though.

"THERE!" yowled Hyde, gesturing wildly towards a door. It was a lab room, an armored one, safe from intrusion by ceiling, floor or ventilation shaft. They piled in, locking and barring the door, finally collapsing into a perspiring, panting pile.

…..

"Great!" spat Lindstrom, yanking his helmet off and sending it smashing down to the ground. "Just great! Now we're stuck in this shit-hole just like the fucking scientists!" He began pacing, waving his arms and cursing.

"Shut the fuck up! You're not helping anything by doing that!" Conan growled, looking up from Raymondi's leg as he helped Ryu staunch the profuse amounts of blood gushing out. The eye-patched man glared, but stopped his stamping about and sat down on a hard metal chair, swearing under his breath. The leader looked thoughtful as she twisted a dreadlock and stared into space. Cal watched her warily from his seat on the floor.

"That last Bug didn't act normal. When they start attacking, the Queen bitch lets them fight until they die. She never calls them away. Wood, I think that you may be right about this being a different type of Queen."

"Really?" he said, perking up under the praise.

"Yep. And that's why you are going to have to contribute more."

"Oh, uh, what do you-"

"This new Queen will attack in force, so when she does I need all the help I can get, especially with one of my men dead and the other badly hurt. I want you to help shoot instead of standing around and gawking at the Bugs." She turned, looking him in the eye. "I won't have you getting underfoot while we fight. Maybe if you had fired a shot, y'know, I saw that you noticed the Alien before the rest of us and if you had fought, maybe Vlad wouldn't be dead and Raymondi wouldn't be bleeding to death. Remember what I told you, Xeno-Bait." Cal's mouth tightened as he bit back an angry cry of anger. He hunched his shoulders and crossed his arms and placed them on his knees, resting his chin on them gloomily. He stayed that way for a long time, doing his best to ignore Raymondi's pained groans and cries and they cleaned and bandaged the wound. Suddenly, his head started feeling strange, sort of fuzzy inside or just more… crowded. Cal blinked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. When that didn't help, he shook his head. Bizarre feeling… he thought, really weird.

"Hello?" someone asked. Cal jumped, glancing around. The voice had been female, but Hyde was overseeing the Italian's treatment and Walsh was at the other end of the room, completely absorbed in a card game. There was no way they could have said anything because the voice had seemed to originate from right beside his ears. "Hello?" it said again, "Why Are You Here?" This time the black man actually yelped, his gaze frantically darting around.

"Who are you?" Cal asked fearfully, earning curious looks from the Bug Hunters.

"Shh! Don't Talk Out Loud! You'll Give Me Away And I Don't Want Them To Know More About Me Yet. Just Think Very Clearly What You Want To Say. I'll Pick It up."

_Um… OK… _Cal thought, suddenly speechless. What to say to someone who could hear your thoughts?

"See? Was That So Hard?" the voice said, and then suddenly turned serious, light amused tone vanishing. "Why Are You Here? Why Did You Kill My Drones And Wound Gray? He Was Only Sent To Investigate With The Drones. They Would Not Have Attacked If You Had Not Raised Your Weapons."

Crap. _Um, sorry? I didn't. Only the Bug Hunters did._

"Bug Hunters…" the voice said softly, worried and a little fearful. "Terrible Things."

_We are here to bargain with you. Our government thinks that you are too dangerous to remain free. _

"Why? Have I Not Been Careful Enough?"

_They don't want you killing people._

"They Are Only Prey. Besides, I Did Not Leave Any Parentless Children." His theory was right! "What Do You Have To Bargain, Cal Wood?" His heart pounded. He had not told her his name! "Do Not Be So Surprised. Just Because You Do Not Send Something Directly To Me Does Not Mean I Cannot Pick Up On It."

_Oh, um, _Cal started, nervous in the 'presence' of someone so sure of themselves, so powerful. _I am supposed to negotiate with you on the existence of this Hive._

"I See. I Am Tired Though and Wish To Sleep. I Would Much Rather Do This In Person, Too. Tomorrow We Meet In The Conference Room, A Couple Halls Away. Then We Talk."

"Sure!" Cal said out loud, forgetting himself. Gentle laughter echoed in his mind, fading away. _Goodbye… X-13._ Cal thought.

"Tomorrow, Then."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Wood?" Hyde asked, hands planted firmly on her hips. "Are you schizo or something?"

"No." he replied faintly. "I just set up a meeting with the Queen."

"WHAT?"


	5. Chapter 5

_Wouldn't it suck if you met someone who had telepathy and they told you? Because then you'd be like, 'Oh god… I can't think of anything dirty because they'll know…" And then you would because you always think of something when you try not to. Like Pink Rhinos. And then there would be a big uncomfortable silence. Eek. I updated fast for you because I have been writing like something that is possessed. The creativity bug bit me and bit me good. SO ITCHY! (foams at the mouth and goes on a mad scratching rampage) Read and review! _

Chapter 5

There, beyond the door, awaited the Prey. She sucked in a deep breath, nostrils flaring and re-arranged Ebony in her arms. Her daughter had grown quite rapidly, definitely not as fast as a normal Xenomorph, but much faster than a human. Much of her baby roundness was now gone, replaced by the angular slenderness of an adult. She was still small enough to be carried and young enough to enjoy it. Ebony was fiercely intelligent and inquisitive, wanting to know more about these intruders, these humans, the ones they called Prey. She was not satisfied with what X-13 and One told her and insisted on coming with her mother and father. X-13 was worried, but hid it from Ebony.

:MATRIARCH. YOU SHOULD NOT WORRY SO MUCH. I AM HERE TO PROTECT YOU. SHOULD THEY HARM YOU OR OUR DAUGHTER IN THE SLIGHTEST WAY, THEY WILL NOT LEAVE THE HIVE.: X-13 smiled and ran her tail over One's.

"Thank You, One." He bobbed his head in reply. Then she stood as erect as she could and pushed open the door with her free arm.

…..

Cal stiffened as the door creaked open at the far end of the room. The conference room had once held a long table and many chairs, but now they were missing or shoved to the side and splintered. It was another high-ceilinged room, still retaining a few lights amongst the work of the Drone's. X-13 stood framed in the doorway; tall, elegant and emanating a strange power and confidence. Though, Cal supposed that if he had dozens of deadly alien insects at his every beck and call, he would be confidant too. She cradled something in her arms, but because of the dim light, shadows and the fact that it was black on black prevented him from picking any details out. Then, as she continued towards them, a huge Xeno loomed behind her. It was crested; instantly Cal knew he beheld the King of the Hive. The King walked with long, easy strides, long head swinging from side to side, staying close to X-13, his Queen. Behind him, Cal heard the Bug Hunters shift in fear, or at least because they were startled.

"This is a fucking trap…" Knox growled, taking the safety off his gun with a click.

"Stop, Knox. Just wait…" Hyde said softly, warily, pressing down the muzzle of his gun. The two Xenomorphs halted a few steps in, just so the big one's tail tip was free of the door. X-13 placed her hand on the gargantuan Xeno's shoulder as he did the same, looking the humans over.

"Greetings." she sent.

"Merde… She speaks in our heads… That is unnatural…" Skeleton muttered, crossing himself.

"What's natural about most of the shit we go through?" Walsh replied, though it held none of her usual bite.

"No way… Wood, is this for real or some sort of joke?" Friedrich breathed.

"Nope." he answered. "I told you about this back at the army base." He took a step forward and bowed. "Greetings, X-13."

A small smile flickered over her face before she re-arranged them back into a stony neutral expression. "What Business Do You Have With My Hive?"

"Our government has decided that you are too dangerous to be left free. They want you and the rest of the Hive relocated to a more secure facility, I hear that they are constructing one specifically for you, or face the alternative." He gestured at the surly mercenaries.

"I Hope You Realize That We Will Not Go Quietly."

"Yes." he said grimly. "But if you will allow yourselves to be transported out of here, you will be allowed to live in peace and never have to hunt for your food."

"But At What Cost? Our Freedom. We Are Born Hunters. If You Take This From Us, We Will Pine Away And Die. If We Go With You, We Will Be Mere Puppets. Playthings. Property. Experiments. We Have Learned The Hard Way That What You Humans Promise To Us Is False, Excluding Death. We May Be Left Alone In Our Prison For A Short While, But Eventually Your Curiosity Will Grow Too Great To Resist. And Then The Tortures Will Begin." she said, bitterness and sorrow think in her mental voice. "I Cannot Allow My Children To Be Treated That Way. No. We Would Rather Die Than Lose Our Freedom."

"Listen, X-Thingy, you got two choices." Hyde said, putting up two fingers like she thought X-13 was slow. X-13 scowled. "You come quietly or die. We are professionals and have killed plenty more Bugs than the amount hat live in this Hive right now. You won't stand a chance." X-13's eyes narrowed in anger, a frown growing on her face. The huge Xenomorph bared his teeth, hissing like a twelve foot cobra and hunching his shoulders, bringing his arms up and curling his barbed tail over his back like a scorpion in a definite threat display.

"One Says That He Would Like To See You Try. I Agree. You Have Never Fought A Hive Like Ours and You Know It. Leave Now. I Tire Of This Discussion."

"Hyde, st-"

"Shut the fuck up." the stocky woman sneered at Cal. "Don't get all high and mighty with us, bitch! We're supposed to come up with an answer for the fucking army. I don't give a damn. I'd rather just toast you all now and have a Buggy bonfire, but the motherfucking government wants us to talk!"

"Ah, Swearing… Crutch Of The Mentally Deficient…" X-13 spat viciously. "I Gave You My Answer!"

…..

X-13 lashed her tail in anger. These, these murderers of hundreds, they were telling her what to do?

"Ariana Hyde, Take Your Men And Go. I Have No Wish To Make A Violent End To This, Though One and The Rest Of The Hive Would Beg To Differ. It Has Been Awhile Since We Had Fresh, Hot Blood. I Know A couple Of Your Men Have Families And I Know You Are Pregnant. I Do Not Like To Kill Children Or Leave Orphans. I Will Give You One Hour To Leave My Hive And Get As Far Away As You Can." Hyde's eyes widened and she clenched her gun tighter, shrinking in on herself.

"Maybe we should listen to her, Hyde." Cal said.

"Yeah. Um, this is kind of creepy, boss." Walsh added. Hyde didn't answer. She was scarlet with rage. X-13 could feel the anger coming off her in waves, and almost everyone else too, but especially her. Their mood made her feel prickly and strange, and more short fused than normal. She tried to find out what they were thinking, a hint, a single image even, but she couldn't pick up anything beyond swirling rage and fear. Sighing, the hybrid placed a hand on the side of One's jaw, looking up at him.

"Let's Go. Perhaps They Will Leave." X-13 turned around to exit the room.

"KNOX! YOU IDI-!" someone started to bellow before the rest of the sentence was demolished in deafening crack! Something struck her in the side, tugging her forwards. A numbness crept from the area, quickly chased away by a wave of searing pain. Slowly, as if in a dream, X-13 reached down with her free hand and touched her side. Her hand came away covered in blood. She turned back around, looking at the humans, weaved and collapsed, blacking out totally.

:MATRIARCH: One screamed frantically as she fell, Ebony tumbling out of her arms with a squeal.

…..

The huge Xenomorph, the King, threw his head back and shrieked at the ceiling, diving towards X-13. Something fell out her arms.

"Mother!" it cried in a child's voice, getting up into a crouch. It was a small baby Xenomorph! The male scooped X-13 up, gripping her tightly, he head lolling back. He paused just long enough for the baby to scamper up to his shoulders before tearing out of the room, wailing his sorrow over the baby's keening cries, blending into an unearthly dirge. Then, all Hell broke loose as what seemed like dozens of Xenomorphs threw themselves from the ceiling and walls, blocking them from escaping the way they came.

"IT'S A FUCKING TRAP!" Knox howled as he was tackled by two Xenomorphs, taking him down, tearing all the way down. Screams and gunshots and wet ripping noises filled the air. Cal began running blindly through the door at the far end of the room, somehow knowing he wasn't the only one…


	6. Chapter 6

_Gah… I got another job, one that I go to more than once a week… No free time… Ugh… Arby's... (makes a face) I got this chappie typed, though, so I'm proud of myself. Fuck. I really don't want to have to work the lunch shift on Monday… Oh well, enjoy this mightily or I'll hunt you down and harass you with my endless repertoire of Invader Zim, Monty Python and Austin Powers quotes until your brain oozes out through your bodily orifices like some perversion of jelly. _

Chapter six

Xenomorphs shrieked, flashlights and muzzle flashes briefly illuminating their ferocious, dripping visages like snapshots out of a nightmare. Someone slammed into Cal's shoulder as he ran, sending him to his knees. The man had hardly gotten past him when he fell, a massive black Alien riding him to the ground, his head clutched in its six-fingered hands. The beast's tongue was thrust through its victim's forehead in a cracking, squelching, splatter. Screaming, Cal got up, pelting past the dead man and the clawing Xenomorph, blood speckling his face like a mockery of freckles. No. The man was not a faceless corpse; he was Henry 'Conan' Coenen, still clutching his gun in the familiar death-grip. Only now it was permanent. He managed only a few dozen feet in the hellish corridor, being jostled by human and Xenomorph alike, before being knocked to the ground again, his glasses flying off his face as it was slammed into the ground. Cal raised his head just in time to hear a _crunch_ a few inches from his ear and saw the blurred image of Friedrich staring him straight in the face before turning and abandoning him.

"WAIT! You're the second-in-command!" Cal howled, scrambling to get up, tripping and staggering greatly in the process. In his sight diminished state, he quickly lost track of the Bug Hunters, but the squeals of the Xenos prompted him to keep moving, even if it was away from the relative safety of the mercenaries. Down countless hallways he careened, hands held blindly in front of him, keeping him from further damaging his face, though the Hive floor gashed his hands terribly. He stumbled into a small room, blacker than the rest of the Hive, without even the residual light from the lit sections. Suddenly remembering a small penlight in his pocket, he fumbled it out. Miraculously, it was still intact, though the beam was dim. Why did he have to read after lights out just before the mission and neglect to change the batteries? Squinting around, he saw he was in a medical ward. A bed was overturned, the blood spotted mattress spilled from the frame. Cal sat down slowly on it, dragging the musty smelling blankets over his lap, chilled despite the heat. They, they left him! Why? He hadn't jeopardized the mission! It was Knox! That stupid rat shot her! At least he was dead now and wouldn't cause anymore trouble. Cal trembled as he inspected his hands. The thick pad at the bottom of his palm resembled ground meat. He picked out bits of dirt, though he had nothing that could be used as bandages. He had dumped his pack when he started running. What if X-13 died? They would be royally screwed then… Cal rested his face in his fingertips, avoiding his throbbing nose and chin. Why did he have to be trapped here? He was never meant for field work. He should be sitting in front of a computer, poring over data or devising theories on behavior! What was Bowie thinking when he assigned him here? Sure, he was an expert on Xenomorph behavior, but he should have chosen someone who had experienced combat before, who wasn't green as grass as Hyde said, who wasn't Bug bait, though that surely was all he would amount to now…

…..

Something tugged at his boot, in much the same way a small dog would. When he jiggled his foot impatiently, it didn't stop right away. With one last, strong tug, it ceased. He groaned and re-settled himself, rolling onto his back and preparing to go back to sleep. Then something leaped onto his chest. Cal screamed, batting at it while propelling himself back with all the spastic energy of someone who has just had the piss scared out of him.

"Stop! Stop! I Will Not Hurt You!"

"W-what? X-13?"

"No Talking. I Do Not Speak Your Prey Languages. Send To Me."

_Who are you? _he asked _Why did you jump at me? _

"You Were Sleeping And I Had To Wake You Up. I Am Ebony." The voice, belonging to the weight on his chest, was very young and childish, perhaps as young as nine or ten.

_Why are you here? _

"Mother Sent Me To Get You. It Was Not Safe For Her To Send A Drone Because Of All The Crazy Prey Running Around And Shooting. I Am Small And Fast, So I Got To Go. Father Did Not Want Me To Go, But Mother Convinced Him."

_Wait, X-13 is alive? _

"Yes. She Is Hurt, Though. That Is Why She Sent Me."

_I can't go. My light is almost dead and I can barely see anyways. _he replied unhappily, again reminded of his bad situation.

"That Is OK. I Will Be Your Eyes. I Can Find My Way Around Easy. Get Up." She hopped off his chest as he threw off the blankets and stood. How long had he slept? No, better question. _How_ had he slept? Then, tiny claws hooked into the fabric of his pants and the armor he was still wearing and it was all he could do to keep from yelping and doing that famous mad jig of fear on his tip toes. It was unnerving in the dark. Ebony climbed him like a kitten would. A bony kitten the weight of a larger adult cat. Reaching his shoulders, she sprawled across them, his armor keeping him safe from her poky bits. "OK. I Will Tap The Side Of Your Face When You Have To Go That Way. I Will Warn You Of Holes Or Higher Spots."

_Can't you put images in my head like X-13? _

"No. I Do Not Know How To Yet, Except Colors And Patterns. That Would Not Help. It Is Very Hard."

_Sorry._ Cal replied, a little sheepishly. The deadly barb on her tail tapped his left cheek and he obediently turned as he began walking slowly. He felt his way through the door and into the darkness of the hall, blacker than he remembered. Could it be that X-13 knew how to use the breakers and switched off and on lights at a whim? Ebony kept up a constant chatter.

…..

"Why Did The Prey Hurt Mother?" Cal swallowed. He had expected her to ask him eventually. It was hard to explain to a child why someone had shot her mother.

_He wasn't supposed to… He went against orders._

"But Why? Mother Was Letting You Go. Why Would He Do That? How Can You Go Against Orders? He Was Like A Drone, Right? They Always Have To Listen. They Cannot Go Against Mother, Even If They Would Want To. Even The Royal Guard Has to Obey If A Matriarch Makes Them. Father Does Not Have To Listen, But He Does Anyways. Mother Is Usually Right."

_He could. We don't have to follow orders if we don't want to. Just… Knox wasn't very nice. He got angry when things didn't go the way he wanted. _

"I Am Glad That He Is Dead. He Hurt Mother. I Am Glad The Bad Prey Is Dead For Hurting Her And Killing Drones. Watch Out For The Hole." Cal stepped to the side just in time, his boot edge just off the rim. She had the mind of a ten-year-old and was already a potential killer. It disturbed him. "What Sort Of Things Do You Eat?" Ebony asked suddenly, switching topics. "Mother Says You Eat Lots Of Things, But She Would Not Tell Me Exactly What. We Just Eat Meat And Blood, But I Want To Try Your Foods, Maybe."

…..

They soon reached a very large storeroom nestled somewhere in the centre of the Hive. Cal had managed to fall only once, nearly spilling a shrieking Ebony, though he did stumble well over a dozen times, turning both ankles painfully, especially his left. The storeroom was much better lit than the rest. A number of crates were strewn about, but some were assembled into a wall in one corner, blocking his view. Along the walls near the ceiling were a few large, dark holes. A couple seemed to be air vents, but the rest had obviously been painstakingly dug out of the walls by the Drones.

"Go Behind The Boxes." Ebony commanded, pointing. Cal obeyed meekly.

…..

The first thing he saw upon rounding the corner was the drooling maw of a huge Xenomorph. Looking up, he saw the curve of its head, flaring into a crest. Looking down, he saw powerful forearms tipped with six-fingered clawed hands, flexing restlessly. Cal froze, mouth locked in a horrified gape, eyes bugging out. Ebony slithered off his shoulders, landing neatly and twining herself around the huge Xeno's feet. It was the King again. Her father. Despite his terror, he found himself examining Ebony, putting a face and body to her personality. If she stood perfectly erect, she would have been about the height of a six-year-old, though mostly leg and much lighter. Her head was that of a typical Xenomorph, except for her eyes. They were large and slanting and somehow looked much blacker than her iridescent black body. Ebony had only four small bumps on her back in place of the spines and her body was surprisingly human, albeit covered in chitin. She looked much less bony and emaciated than she should have. The rest looked like a regular Xeno. Except for her hands. They were five-fingered, long and slender and elegant, tipped with razor sharp, gently curving claws. The King dropped to all fours, nuzzling his daughter. He seemed to be ignoring Cal, but he knew better. What the male was doing was checking the human out; scanning him with the many heat, pressure and electrical sensors arrayed along the sides of his great head. With a grunt, the male Xeno stepped to the side; apparently Cal had passed the test.

…..

X-13 was curled in a pile of blankets, somehow looking all the more wounded and frail in them. She smiled weakly.

"So Ebony Found You Successfully Then? You Do Look Rather The Worse For Wear, Though."

_Yeah… Are you all right?_

X-13 tilted her head to the side and shrugged, wincing in pain. "I Think. The Bug Hunters Used Bad Bullets. They Really Are Professionals."

_What do you mean?_

"They Did Not Burn Away Like Usual. Those Are The Worst; They Cause The Most Damage Because Of That. Poor One Had To Take It Out. He Was Terrified He Would Hurt Me Worse Than The Prey Did." One growled, coming behind X-13 and sitting, curling his bony tail protectively around her. Ebony clung to his shoulder, looking pleased with herself.

_Uh, One can't hear me, right?_

"No. Only What Ebony And I Tell Him. His Mind Is Too Different Compared To Yours. I Have Not Figured Out How To Let Him Talk With Humans. Now, To Business. Cal. Despite What You Humans Have Done To Us, I Am Willing To Let You Go. All Of You." To Cal's look of surprise, she added, "Yes. A Few, Very Few, Are Still Alive, Hidden In One Of The Safe Rooms… I Knew I Should Have Had Them All Breached… But You Can Take Them And Leave. That Goes Against Mine And One's Better Judgment, But We Do Not Have The Numbers To Go Against The Prey In War. Even A Normal Queen Would Fail. It Would Take Many Hives, Dozens Perhaps. I Have No Choice But To Make Peace, Of A Sort."

_I… I can't… They won't listen to me… _

"So?" Ebony sent, "Make Them. You Are A Leader Too. Punish Them If They Do Not Listen."

"Ebony Is Right."

_It doesn't matter if I try to make them. They'll kill me. _

"One Says You Are A Weakling And A Pitiful Excuse For A Leader. He Says That They Will Never Obey If You Act That Way." said X-13, her mental voice growing stern. She frowned as she spoke. It was really weird to watch her because she constantly gestured with her hands. If you couldn't 'hear' her, it would almost be comical. That is, if you weren't fazed by her bodyguard. "To Be Dominant, You Must Act Dominant."

_I don't know how. _X-13 sighed and flapped her hand at him. She pushed herself to a sitting position and threw off the blanket she was wrapped in. Cal gasped and covered his eyes.

"What?" she growled, slowly hobbling over to a box a few feet away.

_You're naked… _

"Yes. I Cannot Very Well Wear Any Clothes When Anything That Touches My Blood Burns Away." Dimly, the black man was aware Ebony was laughing at him and, if it was possible, One was grinning.

_But… Shouldn't you cover up in the blanket?_

"And Trip? I Think Not. I Hurt Enough Already. There Is Nothing Wrong With My Body, Right?"

_No… _Cal replied, still averting his gaze and feeling ever more embarrassed by the second.

"I Only Wear Clothes Because, Unlike The Rest Of My Hive, I Get Cold. Plus, I Don't Have An Unlimited Supply Of Suits Anymore And I Do Not Want To Run Around In An Old Blanket. I Already Burned Holes In Several Blankets." X-13 seemed annoyed with him. He thought of her as human because, well, he could talk to her, and her body was very, uh, 'womanly'... No human woman would like a man who was nearly a stranger staring at her. Well, at least not ones with a good reputation. "Now Stop Hiding And Being An Idiot." Slowly he brought his hands down to see her reach into a crate and pull out a rectangular green box. Limping back and clutching her ugly wound, muttering to herself, she sat back down and yanked the blanket over herself again. X-13 extended the hand that held to box. Cal took it from her. It was a radio. An older model, but probably still compatible.

_Thank you…_

"It Still Works. Call For A Ride Out And Take The Murderers With You." Suddenly, X-13 gasped, clutching at her head and slumping over. One snarled hunching his shoulders.

"What?" Cal said in alarm, forgetting himself. "Are you OK?" He leaned down, reaching a hand out to the fallen hybrid. One screeched, mouth gaping, deadly tongue very visible as he threw himself between Cal and X-13. A low growl rumbled out of his throat.

"I Am All Right… We Just Felt The Death Pain Of One Of The Drones." she whispered, eyes screwed tightly shut. "They Killed Another That Came Too Close To Their Hiding Spot. Out. Now. Ebony, Show Him To The Prey." Ebony obeyed silently, climbing back up to Cal's shoulder, her face expressionless.


	7. Chapter 7

_I bet you are all really pissed at me, eh? I blame work and other such unavoidable things. This story, unfortunately will probably continue to have a slow update rate. But I hope to put a new chapter of Body Thief up every week once this is finished. I'll be a good girl after this story. Gods, I remember, way back when I started X-13, I actually put a new chapter, sometimes two, up a week…Please, please, please review! It's so depressing to only have a couple reviews after all my hard work. I'll give one of my special brownies to reviewers! Nummy nummy!_

Chapter 7

Ebony was nearly silent for the entire trip to where the Bug Hunter's were holed up, only speaking when there was an obstacle or a hole.

"This Is It." she said simply, quietly.

_Thank you…_ he replied. _You can go now. You don't have to stay anymore._

"No No. I Want To See Them. I Am Curious."

_What if they try to hurt you? _

"They Will Not." Ebony retorted. "I Am Too Small, Too Fast. I Will Be Safe."

_If you say so… I don't want to make your mother and father any angrier than they already are._ She replied with a mental sigh. Cal shrugged and opened the door.

…..

Cal was met by the barrel of a gun. He froze, hands raised in a signal of peace. Hyde snarled wordlessly and lowered the gun.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she growled. She looked terrible. Much of her armor was gone and what remained was severely burned and scored with claw marks. The sleeve on her right arm was torn off at the shoulder, revealing a white bandage that covered her entire arm, except for her thumb and two fingers. It was spotted with blood and yellowish fluid. She bore several blood pits on her face and left arm. Her right leg had a vicious bite mark on it. Blood had covered the fabric and he could see a thick bandage underneath her pants; enough blood had oozed from the wound to have soaked the bandage. Ariana Hyde caught him looking at the wound and smiled wolfishly, with no humor in the expression. "I shot the Bug that did that to me in the head. It was crippled and I didn't see it lying on the ground. I ripped out its tongue while it was still in its death throes. Got me a nice memento now." She gestured at her belt. The grayish toothed tongue of a Xenomorph hung from it.

"Murderer!" screamed Ebony, hurtling from her hiding place behind his back. She landed on Hyde's face and began clawing, her long tail whipping back and forth, enraged shrieks issuing from her mouth.

"GERROFF ME! GERROFF ME!" Hyde howled, beating at the young Xeno. Cal lunged forward and yanked Ebony off the woman's face, still struggling all the while. He enfolded her in his arms, shielding her and preventing escape all at once. The click of guns cocking caught his ear. The black man turned from an angry and bleeding Hyde to see Walsh and Ryu Kurosawa aiming guns at him. No welcome expression was on her face; it was cold and furious. "You brought one of those things in here." stated Hyde slowly in disbelief, while she wiped blood off her face.

In his head Ebony snarled, "Murderers Killers Destroyers Of My Kin Want To Kill Want To Rip Want Revenge Want Hot Blood Fresh Blood Let Go Let Go Let GO!"

"She helped me find my way here! Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

"Pfft. Why does it matter?" Hyde scoffed, lifting her gun slightly. "We're dead anyways, so why does it matter if I frag the little fucker?"

"Because I have a radio, you idiot!" Cal spat right back, surprising himself with his venom.

"No fucking way!" Walsh said, getting up off her chair and hobbling over. Now that she was closer, Cal could see her leg was in a rough splint. Cal lifted the radio off his belt and handed it to her, smiling slightly, keeping the hissing Ebony safely away. She snatched it from his grasp and limped back to her chair, putting the radio safely under one leg and training her gun on him again. Cal felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. He thought she had been his friend. Maybe he had even been beginning to like her as more than a friend…

"Hey Wood. Let me give my fucking thanks to you for giving me the radio." He turned to look at her and received a fist in the face! He shouted in pain, stumbling away.

"What the hell was that for!" he yelled, holding his jaw with his free hand.

"I can't believe you sided with the fucking Bugs! I thought you at least had some respect for your own species!" He spat out bloody saliva and glowered at her.

"Being around you people makes me wonder which species is truly the most heartless!" Baring her teeth in rage, Hyde wound up and socked him in the head again. Unprepared for the force of the impact, Cal went down like a rock, dropping Ebony. For such a short woman, she could hit really, really hard!

"Ryu. Get the little Bug and kill it. I'll take care of Mr. Wood here. Walsh, you radio for help." Ryu got up, ignoring his injuries and silently obeyed, his dark eyes roving the walls and ceiling for Ebony, his gun held at the ready. Cal took a deep breath to yell a warning for her, whether she understood English or not, but abruptly, a boot embedded itself in his belly, knocking all the air out. "I told you what would happen if you fucked this mission up. Not only that, you made me lose almost all of my team!" That was not the end of it though; Hyde continued kicking him, battering him senseless. Cal dimly recalled trying to fight back, kicking at her and clawing her wounded leg. The tough little woman soon beat all fight out of him; a savage blow swiping across his face broke his nose and at least two teeth. He spiraled into unconsciousness.

…..

X-13 chewed a claw nervously. She could feel a great deal of fear coming from her daughter and Cal. That was coupled with rage from the other humans. While she wanted to send a Drone, or better yet, One or herself, to go to Ebony's aid, she had to learn to look after herself. Ebony was growing up fast. She wasn't an infant anymore and had to solve her own problems. It was one of the hardest things X-13 ever had to so.

…..

Ebony watched in horror as the female killer struck Cal across the face, so unexpected that she couldn't even warn him. He stumbled awkwardly, keeping her safe. They yelled a bit more and then she hit him again. This time he tumbled over, dropping her. The young Xenomorph scurried away to prevent herself from being crushed, leaping to the wall. She folded herself into a crevice, counting on the shadows and her own black carapace to keep herself hidden. The female barked as order of some kind, though she didn't know what. She felt anger and strange triumphant emotions coming off her in waves. With a start, Ebony realized that the human liked beating others of her kind! What kind of madness was that? How could you harbor such hatred for another of your kind? Her father had told her of fierce battles between his old Hive and a rival one, but they were done out of necessity. Dwindling resources and expanding Hive populations had led them to organize raids on each other. Eventually, the smaller Hive had been wiped out. There was no anger like this; only grim intent and the urge to survive. Even in her own Hive there were, on occasions, fights for dominance, but not like this! They were to establish pecking order and once one of the fighting Xenos knew they would lose, they quickly backed off. Her mother and father never had to use force to control the Praetorians or Drones. Suddenly, Ebony felt a dizzying wave of hatred for humans, especially that lead female! Her other senses picked up on another form, coming very close. She pushed herself further into the crevice, willing herself to be still. He passed by, but clearly, he was hunting her. Once he was just far enough away, Ebony darted out like greased lightning and made for a small vent. While far too tiny to accommodate a Drone, it was perfect for herself. As Ebony made her escape, she caught a glimpse of the killer female hitting and kicking Cal, while he fought back feebly. Her instincts told her to run, but she wanted to stay and kill the humans, to destroy the Prey! They had killed part of her Hive and now this! Her instincts won; she was far too small, too young to be a serious danger and she knew it.

…..

Ebony darted through the maze of tunnels that were her home, searching out her parents. To her surprise, she found them in the main hall, above ground and clinging to the ceiling near the doors.

"Mother! What Are You Doing Here?" she sent questioningly.

"Waiting For The Prey To Leave."

"You Have To Do Something! The Killer Female Prey Is Hurting Cal!"

X-13 shook her head.

:NO.: sent One. :WE CANNOT LEAVE HERE; WE WILL MISS OUR OPPORTUNITY. I CANNOT RISK THAT FOR A PREY, THOUGH HE HAS AIDED US GREATLY, IN HIS OWN WAY.: "But Father! What If She Kills Him?" :;IF SHE DOES, SHE DOES. WE CAN DO THIS WITHOUT HIM.:

"Do What?" Ebony asked.

"Hush, Daughter," X-13 sent, "The Prey Is Coming."

"But…? What Are You Doing? I Want To Know!"

:EBONY. SILENCE. FOLLOW US CLOSELY WHEN WE START MOVING.: Ebony sighed and glowered at her parents, disliking their secrecy and their reluctance to rescue Cal, though she did obey. It would be foolish not to. At the end of the hall, she felt the humans coming. Through her powerful senses, she realized with a start that Cal was among them, being carried, but definitely alive. As they passed beneath the waiting Xenomorphs into the night outside, she smelt his blood very strongly. :GO NOW.: One commanded and then they were in motion…


	8. Chapter 8

_Teh longer chapter… I kept my promise to update more often! Yay pour moi! Ooh, I almost forgot! (gives Blanko, Dragonsoul90, Crimson, Bastet1023, EvilFairy42, Dawley, Crossover Fiend and Basilisk9466 brownies) Anyways, I'm thinking of entering some of my art in the Whyte Ave Art Walk. Yep. Not that any of you will know where Whyte Ave is, but it's gonna be a show and sale. So I'll sell of my less favourite art and some stuff I'll make just for the occasion and make big bucks. Hopefully. In other news, I bought a new tank for my baby Corn Snake at a reptile show and now I want to get a baby Ball Python, sometime in the next year or two, depending on what is available at the next spring/fall show. I do loves reptiles and my little baby is going to be so big by this time next year! Mmmyep… So please review and I hope you'll enjoy!_

Chapter 8

Cal awoke with a groan, everything throbbing. Realizing he couldn't see out of one eye, he reached up, hand clumsy and blundering. Touching his face revealed the gauze of a bandage and a jolt of pain. What had happened? Why was he here? Where was here, exactly? Oh crud… he thought as he suddenly remembered. He remembered Hyde beating the living crap out of him. But that was back in the Hive… God, his head hurt… Why would that horrible wench save his life when she seemed intent on killing him brutally before? Moaning loudly, he closed his eye and attempted to fall back into the lovely soft embrace of sleep. He waited, but unconsciousness didn't come. The dull pain pulsing through his body kept him up, as did his nagging questions and nervous anxiety that churned in the pit of his stomach, making him feel slightly nauseous. Frustrated, he jammed the call button sitting beside him repeatedly.

A few minutes later, a nurse as well as General Bowie walked in. She began checking the computer that monitored his vitals.

"How are you feeling, Wood?" Bowie asked.

"Like crap."

"I'm not surprised, considering what you were through."

No kidding, he thought, bitterly remembering Hyde. "How long have I been out?" he croaked, his tongue feeling thick and dry, no doubt from the painkillers he must have coursing through his bloodstream.

"Five days."

"WHAT?"

"We've been keeping you sedated so you could heal and assessments could be made."

"Oh. Have you punished that awful woman yet?"

Bowie raised a bushy gray brow. "And just who are you referring to?"

"Hyde!" he said loudly.

"Why would we want to do that? She saved your life." Cal pushed himself up, the nurse making disapproving sounds and trying to get him to lie back down.

"That no-good cow did this to me! Most of it anyways…" he added, thinking of his lacerated hands and numerous other small injuries that were that result of falling on the Hive floor. "She said it was punishment for making her lose her team."

Bowie frowned. "That's not what she said. Walsh and Kurosawa even backed her up. They said they found you stumbling around in the darkness, gibbering madly to yourself about the Xenomorphs and badly injured. All their stories were the same and you were in no state to supply your own information, so we assumed that it was true."

Thunderstruck, Cal spat, "Why would you believe them? They are a bunch of lowlife criminals!"

Bowie frowned deeper. "You weren't awake for comment. So, you are saying she beat you up?"

"Yes! I even brought a radio to them so we could get out and then she pounded the crap out of me!"

"This had better be true… This isn't going to be easy…" the big man said with certain reluctance, and a slightly suspicious and worried look. Why was he being doubted? He was the only one remotely trustworthy on that entire team! He had never given the general reason to doubt him before.

Cal ground his teeth. "You let them go, didn't you?"

"Yes. And with their hefty paycheck too."

"Are you an idiot?"

"Watch yourself, Wood!" Bowie barked, "You may be injured but you are still in the presence of your superior officer!"

"Sorry sir. I don't know what came over me." General Bowie grunted and stormed out of the room. Scowling, Cal allowed the nurse to fuss over him.

…..

For the next three days, Cal heard nothing from Bowie, he only concentrated on getting mobile again, pushing himself to walk despite the pain from his bruises and cracked ribs. He took to taking at least two daily walks around the medical wing and the main halls. One day, hobbling around the entrance hall, Cal heard a cacophony of horrible screaming. Limping as fast as he could around the corner, he saw Hyde. She was flanked by two burly soldiers and handcuffed securely, but still she fought, struggling and kicking and spitting and screeching obscenities at the top of her lungs.

"LET ME GO, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! SHIT! IF YOU'VE DAMAGED MY SHIP, YOU'LL BE TWICE AS DEAD AS BEFORE!" Then she saw Cal, standing at the top of the stairs, clutching a cane. She froze, dangling limply in their arms as they dragged her along, purple and pop-eyed with rage. Oh… Crap.

…..

One hour later, he was sitting in the company of Hyde, General Bowie and several officers. She was bound tightly to her chair and there were four armed guards in the room. Since seeing Cal, she had not said a single word. The tall general paced a circle around the furious woman, looking like a big old grizzly inspecting a helpless deer fawn. He stroked his beard and looked thoughtful.

"Is it true you attacked Dr. Wood while in the Hive?"

She glared and hissed, "Of course I did, you bloody great bastard."

"Why did you lie before?"

"Because I figured he would be smart enough not to blab. Obviously not. I wanted to get paid and to get the hell out of there with the pathetic remainder of my crew."

Bowie smirked. "Why are you telling all this now?"

She shook a couple dreadlocks out of her face and said, "I'm not exactly going to get out of this either way, so why bother using more energy lying? I know I'm pretty much gonna spend the rest of my life on a penal colony doing hard labour."

"Why did you injure him?"

"Bug-Bait over there cost me my crew. I warned him what would happen if he fucked up. So I beat the shit outta him and figured if I brought him in, I'd get the big hero's welcome from you idiots and forget about all my little mistakes that I've made over my life, so I could make some new ones."

The general shook his head, sighing irritably. "You and the rest of your team will be sentenced for life to the penal colony on LV-506 for life. You ship and cargo will be sold." Cal winced. LV-506 was a rather newly discovered Earth-sized world, with rich mineral deposits. However, it had a barely breathable atmosphere and was very, very tectonically active. It had a few small seas, lakes and the like, but they were all toxic mineral soups, boilingly hot, spewing poisonous steam. They were, for the most part, too hot and too deadly for even simple bacteria. The whole planet was like the most unpleasant and dangerous regions of Yellowstone.

Hyde bared her teeth in a cruel grin. "I know you already suspect Wood of some very interesting things, so let me tell you some more about your precious..." Oh no… she wouldn't… But she did. "He's sided up with the Xenos. He fucked up our job. This is more than the usual infatuation and worship of the monsters; he's actually in league with them! He'd happily throw us to them as long as his darling Queen is unharmed. Wood is being controlled by them!" Everyone was silent, giving Cal worried and horrified and disgusted looks. Sure, he worked for them, he was an expert on Xenomorph behavior, but a disturbing number of people who worked in close proximity with them aliens went insane, worshipping the creatures, longing to be closer to them. No one knew why it happened, though some had put forward the idea that because so many of the Xenomorphs that were captured had bred from humans and shared some of the DNA, that a select few were able to pick up on their telepathy at some unconscious level, but it drove them over the edge. Suddenly, someone began pounding on the locked door. At a nod from Bowie, one of the armed guards opened it. In rushed a soldier, waving something off-white and papery. He was young and excited looking.

"This meeting should not be interrupted, private." Bowie growled.

"But, sir! Look!" He stopped waving the thing and then, everyone saw what it was. It was the shed skin of a Xenomorph. "There are two more of them back in the main ship bay!"

"Wood," General Bowie growled through clenched teeth, "get up now. You're coming with me. You!" he added to the private. "Assemble a team and search this place from top to bottom for any dead bodies, more skins or suspicious activity. If anyone has lost time, feels ill, has chest pain or a sore throat, get them quarantined immediately in a secure location. This place is on high alert now. No one gets in, no one gets out until I give my okay, got that?"

"Yessir." Cal got up slowly, leaning on his cane as pains shot through his ribcage. He began walking towards the door. A large hand seized the back of his collar and began to propel him roughly forwards. He couldn't forget Hyde's triumphant smirk.

…..

When they got there, the hangar was already full of armed soldiers.

"Anything yet?"

"No sir."

"Wood. Are they here?"

"I don't know sir." He answered truthfully.

"Look!" one man yelled, panicky. They looked in the direction of his trembling finger and saw, sitting bold as brass on the ramp of the very ship that had taken them from the Hive, a small Xenomorph. It was totally ignoring the fact that several dozen guns were aimed at its head. It was completely relaxed; in fact, it was so unconcerned it was grooming its glossy black chitin. The creature looked newly minted.

"Ebony!" Cal yelled, limping forwards as fast as he could.

"Cal!" she replied happily, running towards him. She jumped into his arms, fitting far less easily than before.

_Oof… You've grown! _

"Yes. The Prey Did Not Seem Very Happy To See That." she sent, gesturing towards the additional two skins spread out on the ground. One was noticeably larger than the other. The young Xenomorph adjusted herself so that her feet were hooked on his belt and her arms around his neck. That made her weight much easier to bear. "Is That Better?" she asked.

_Yes. How did you know?_

"I Picked Up On It." she said, sounding proud of herself.

_You're getting much better now._

"WOOD!" Bowie yelled, "What the hell?"

"Sorry sir." Cal replied, walking towards them. "This is Ebony."

"Stop! Stop right there!" Bowie barked, sounding more than a little frightened.

"What? She's not dangerous."

"Yes I Am!" Ebony said, grinning. "When I Want To Be."

"She helped me to get out of the Hive."

The large man scowled. "So Hyde was right. You are in league with them. Yet another scientist ruined."

Cal's eyes widened. "No sir! It's not like that! I wouldn't put my species at risk to save just any Xenomorph! But her and her mother helped me. They were the ones that gave me the radio." Cal knew how crazy that sounded and knew his argument was losing ground.

"Who's her mother?" the general asked, his tone suggesting he was going along with the crazy man to keep him happy.

"X-13."

"So she can breed then? How unusual. That wasn't supposed to happen."

"What? What Is Wrong With Mother? Did The Prey Do Something To Her?" Apparently, Ebony could now pick up on more than emotions. Perhaps she could now understand what was being said by what formed in their minds. Cal wanted to talk to her, to find out exactly what was going on.

"Well, this situation just got a lot more interesting. Is the little Xenomorph, uh, this 'Ebony', alone?"

_Ebony? Are your parents with you?_

"Of Course! It Was Their Idea. They told Me To Come Out Because I Am Smaller And Look Less Dangerous Than They Do."

"General, sir? She said that X-13 and her mate have come along too. They're still in the ship."

"Alright… Wood, you are screwed! This is a major breach in security! I don't know how you got them in here, but you are going to pay for it!" spluttered Bowie.

"Leave Him Alone." a commanding female voice said. "He Has Nothing To Do with This Plan." X-13 and One walked down the ramp and into the centre of the bay.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Whew… Muchly long time! Thanks for sticking with me. Bad Raptor-Chick, naughty girl, naughty! I fixed my writer's block. Funny how it always happens on X-13 stories. So, I'm working in the camps now and making much money, which is always useful to have around, though I'm working uber long hours. So far I don't mind it though; I can be alone, listen to my music and just bake. I do have to obtain some better shoes though. Anyways, read and review please!_

Chapter 9

X-13 stared down the humans; giving them such an imperious look that many soldiers cringed before her.

"I Have Come Here To Make A Truce. Too Long Have Our Kinds Fought. So Many Have Died, Paining Both Species. I Am Giving You An Opportunity To End This." For a moment, there was silence. Then muttering erupted. Even Cal was struck silent; he had not expected this. Back in the Hive, all X-13 had wanted to do was to be left alone. Now she had come here?

_Why didn't you tell me about this?_ he asked Ebony.

"Mother Told Me Not To. She Thought It Would Worry You."

_Of course it would worry me! This could get you captured or killed or experimented on! I've seen what happens to the wounded Drones that have been dragged in here! It was a mercy when they finally succumbed to their injuries! Even the eggs and facehuggers…_

"I Know The Dangers." X-13 sent. "So Do One And Ebony. We Would Not Risk Our Daughter's Life If We Thought The Chances Were Going To Be Bad." X-13 added, "What Is Your Choice, General Bowie?"

The heavily built general's mouth worked for a few moments, his seemingly impenetrable composure shot to pieces. The appearance of the Xenomorphs had shocked him. He didn't like the creatures; he found their method of breeding and everything else about them disgusting and horrifying. However, he could not deny how useful they'd be in war if they could be trained, their destructive potential harnessed. Awful, but good for battle. It was the same sort of thought many people had about nuclear bombs; useful in the right time and place, monstrous weapons other times. But they were so dangerous! Xenomorphs had managed to worm their way out of every holding facility ever designed and had resisted all attempts at domestication.

"I Understand If You Must Think About This For A Short While. If There Is A Place We May Stay, Then We Will Gladly Go Until You Decide To Hear Us Out. Remember, This Is A One-Time Opportunity…"

_Good job…_ Cal thought, _Not too overly pushy or meek; she has him right where she wants him._

X-13 shot Cal a look; he had not meant to broadcast his thoughts like that. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth and a feeling of thanks and approval washed over him. The black man grinned, then tried to suppress it.

_Ebony, you had better get back to your parents. There is going to be a lot of stuff for us to do._

"All Right." she said lightly and climbed down, running lithely back to the slender X-13 and the hulking One.

…..

Cal sat with his face buried in his hands. Idiot! he silently hissed, though he didn't quite know if he was referring to himself or Bowie. Both could apply quite easily. A short while ago, Cal Wood had been relatively well off, with a comfortable retirement ensured, a secure job with room to advance and quite a bit of influence.

Now he was imprisoned in an eight-by-ten cell and it looked like he may not even survive the whole business. His job was the least of his worries. He didn't even know if the Xenomorphs were alive; he hadn't had even an emotion sent to him for hours. Cal knew he was an enormous liability; they didn't know if he was sane or not, they didn't know whether to trust the Xenos or anything. He hoped that X-13 had gotten through to the general. If they listened to her, this could mean the end of all human-Xenomorph conflicts on Earth.

"You Called?" came the voice in his mind.

_X-13? How?_ "

I Was Letting My Mind Drift, Teaching Ebony And Found You Were Thinking Of Us."

_You're safe then?_

"Oh, Yes. They Put Us In A Small Room And Put Many Armed Humans By The Door. They Think We Are Too Big To Go Through The Vents."

_Are you?_

"No. One Is, And For Me It Would Be A Tight Squeeze, But Ebony Can Still Fit Easily. Do You Wish For Some Company?"

_No thanks. They have me on camera and it would look really bad if a Xenomorph showed up in here with me._

"I Suppose."

_You aren't safe here. They'll try and kill you eventually. I know I'm probably not going to be around much longer. You should escape while you can._

"No." she replied forcefully.

Cal winced.

"We Cannot Do That. There Are Too Many Humans Here. If I Were A Normal Matriarch, Then Perhaps There Would Be A Slim Chance. But I Am Not A Normal Mother. I Breed Much, Much Slower. We Do Not Even Know What Ebony Will Be Like When She Is Grown."

"It Would Be Easier If We Could Do This The Way All Our Kind Has Always Done." Ebony chimed in, sounding much older and wiser than usual. "But We Are Different."

Then, a low, growling male voice echoed inside Cal's head. While Cal heard words, he didn't think they were being sent as words. Something, perhaps X-13, perhaps his subconciousness was translating the primal urges, feelings and utterances into something he could understand.

:I WISH THAT WE COULD END THIS; MAKE IT BETTER, JUST LIKE WE DID WITH THE BUILDING THAT BECAME OUR HIVE. THIS CHANGING OF WAYS IS HARD FOR ME. IT WOULD BE SO MUCH EASIER IF I COULD JUST KILL THE PROBLEM AND LAY IT BEFORE MY MATRIARCH'S FEET. I MUST FIX IT THROUGH WORDS. FOR THIS HIVE, TIMES ARE CHANGING AN THE OLD WAYS ARE WRONG.:

"I Want To Make A Deal With Them, A Treaty."

_What sort?_

"If The Humans Wish For Us To Fight For Them Or Wish For The Occasional Egg To Test, We Will Give It. We Will Even Submit For The Occasional Experiment, So Long As It Does Not Endanger Our Lives Or Well-Being."

_It won't work._ Cal replied grimly. _They can just wipe you out and take what they want. They won't want to make a deal for something they can get for free._

: THEY CANNOT MAKE US FIGHT FOR THEM. THE MATRIARCH SAYS THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT.:

Cal scratched his head. _They do want that… But someday someone will figure out how to make Xenomorphs fight for them and then they won't need you anymore._

"Trust Me." X-13 sent, reassurance radiating from her like heat from a fire. Then, Cal knew they were gone. "I hope you're right…"

…..

X-13 stretched and leaned back against One. He wrapped his long arms around her, feeling the worry that she let no one else feel. He nuzzled her.

: ALL WILL BE WELL, MATRIARCH.:

"I Hope So."

A dangerous little thought gnawed at her. Even if they were able to reach a decision, if it took too long it wouldn't matter. X-13 and One were far out of the sending range of the Hive. If they were away too long, it would be like they were dead and when the Matriarch and Patriarch of a Hive were dead, the Praetorians would begin to fight to assert dominance. The most dominant female would cocoon and emerge as the new Queen, selecting a King from the most dominant male Praetorians. And this Queen would be normal and breed like crazy. Even if they returned, it wouldn't matter because the new Matriarch would kill them. The Hive would no longer be in X-13's tight control. The entire Hive as well as X-13, One and Ebony would be as good as dead then. No Xenomorph would ever be permitted to live on Earth again.


	10. Chapter 10

_Whew! This is likely the longest chapter I've ever written. I almost split it up into two, but then decided to let you have a treat with extra-long goodness. So this brings the latest story of X-13 to a close, finally. I'm not sure what other story I will be starting now. In the mean time, I'll be continuing Predator: Guardian Angels and dreaming of more reviews for that story. In other news, I got a tattoo. It's Darth Vader and he lives on my lower leg/ankle. So, please read and review!_

Chapter 10

"General Bowie? Have You Reached A Decision Yet?" X-13 sent, rocking back on her heels in the cell, absently picking at the scab around her healing wound. She could feel him flinch at her voice.

_Why should I bother to bargain with you monsters?_

"Because Your Government Wants Us. We Are Useful."

_I can just take what we need. I don't need to make a deal with the devil._

"I Am Hardly A Devil, Nigel Bowie. I Do Not Have Horns." Her attempt at humour went unnoticed or unmentioned. X-13 scowled. "You Cannot Take What You Need. You Will Never Have A Willing Xenomorph In Your Laboratories And You Will Never Have A Xenomorph Soldier Who Will Not Slay Its Handlers." She could feel him pause.

_What do you mean 'willing'?_

"I Am Saying That I Will Give You Xenomorphs For Tests And If Asked, We Will Fight." Before he could answer, she continued, "There Are A Few Rules. Number One, You May Not Perform any Tests That Will Hurt Us. Number Two, If I Give You An Egg, You May Not Do Anything That Will Impair Its Ability To Bring Another Xenomorph Into The World. Number Three, We Will Not Go On Any Suicide Missions Or Missions To Destroy Other Hives. In Return For Our Services, You Will Not Attack Any Member Of My Hive. You Will Provide Me With More Eggs If I Ask. We Will Not Attack Humans. You Will Stock The Area Around My Hive With Prey. This Is A Very Good Deal; If I Were You, I Would Take It."

X-13 listened to him think. He mulled over several plans in quick succession; she admired how he could so easily plan something, examine faults, fix them and then weigh pros and cons. She supposed it was from a lifetime of creating battle plans. He thought about just killing her, One and Ebony and nuking the Hive. He thought about accepting her deal, but then going back on it. And he thought about accepting fully. She smiled.

Near her, One tilted his head to the side and asked: IS HE GOING TO ACCEPT? OR MUST WE FIGHT OUR WAY OUT?:

"I Think He Will Accept. He Is A Rational Man."

One grunted. :I COULD HAVE USED A FIGHT. IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I BLOODIED MY CLAWS, MATRIARCH. BUT, THIS WILL BE BETTER FOR OUR HIVE.: The King sighed and scratched his jaw with a hind paw. :THIS IS HARD. THE PREY HAVE BEEN MY ENEMY ALL MY LIFE, SOMETHING TO FEAR AND HATE AND KILL. SOMETHING TO EAT, BELOW US. I DO NOT THINK I WILL GET USED TO THEM BEING LIKE HIVE, TO BE TRUSTED.:

"I Do Not Think Many Should Be Trusted. The Prey Is Tricky. We Will Remain Cautious."

:GOOD.: One scooped X-13 up in his arms, nuzzling her. She squealed and kicked as his muzzle dug into her side, tickling. :SOME THINGS DO NOT CHANGE AT LEAST, MATRIARCH.:

_X-13? What if I did allow your truce? How do I know you will not go back on your word? You aren't human; you don't have our human ideas of morals, what is right and wrong. Besides, how will others know that you vicious Bugs can be trusted? They will think I have gone Xeno mad. _

"I Think In Many Cases, We Have A Better Idea Than Humans. I Have Great Difficulty Lying, But You Know This. And If Others Do Not Believe? I Will Tell Them Myself. I Give My Word. One Gives His. As Long As My Daughters And Granddaughters Rule, We Will Be Your Allies. Can You Speak For Your Own Descendants?"

_I don't know._ he admitted,_ If the truce is not a mistake, than perhaps yes. But, I have a question to ask. Why would you allow this? To be experiments again? You hated it and boy did you fight against every other attempt._

"I Did Not Give My Permission And They Were Often Cruel. And I Thought You Would Need Something In Return. You Have No Idea How Hard It Is For Me, To Allow My Children To Be Treated As Animals. I Hate It! But I Know You Will Not Just Want To Let Vicious Bugs Roam Earth For Nothing." She could feel his embarrassment at calling her that. It pleased her. Now perhaps he was beginning to see things from her point of view?

_I think I will need a few days to let others know about this. I can't make such a large decision by myself. My rank is not high enough. This will take a while. Change always does. _

"Bowie!" X-13 snapped. "We Do Not Have Time! I Cannot Hear My Hive! They Will Soon Think I Am Dead And You Will Have A Much Larger Problem On Your Hands! It Is Now Or Never!"

Bowie, if he was not such a controlled man, would have experienced panic. Instead, he felt a twinge of worry that he crushed before it could change into anything more. Trust the Xenomorph? Perhaps be hailed as a man who changed history? Or would he be hated for his decision and imprisoned, even killed?

_Fine. We have a truce. I'll ready a plane and have you flown back to the Hive._

X-13 shrieked with glee.

…..

Cal was lying stretched out on the uncomfortable bed in his cell, counting spots in the concrete. It was better than stewing about his eventual fate. He had not heard from X-13 or Ebony in a while. Were they dead now? The hybrids were not virtually immune to toxins like regular Xenomorphs. Their added human DNA made them weaker. It would be a simple thing to gas X-13 and Ebony and then shoot One. He heard voices, dull through the heavy metal door. Oh good. Was he finally going to be fed in this hell-hole? He could only imagine the slop. The door swung open. He didn't bother to get up. _He_ wasn't in the military anymore. He was damned if he was going to salute for those bastards.

Something shrieked piercingly and a not-so-small black comet collided with his chest. His breath whooshed out.

_Ebony!_

"Cal!" She jumped to the foot of the bed as he got up, looking behind him, panting a little as he regained his breath. There was General Bowie.

"You're free to go, Dr. Wood. All charges dropped."

"But why, sir?"

"We have come to a truce. You will escort X-13 and One back to the Hive."

"Yes sir."

"Get to your quarters and get cleaned up."

"Yes sir."

Bowie saluted, which Cal returned and strode off.

_God, every time I look at you, you've gotten bigger._

Ebony grinned. "Mother Convinced Bowie To Let The Hive Stay!" She squealed gleefully again. "I Get To Go Home! I Have Missed Everyone So Much. You Humans Have Interesting Minds, But I Do Miss The Hive Mind."

Cal laughed. _Let's go. Bowie will want to get moving soon and I need a clean uniform._

…_.._

Standing before the mirror in his proper rooms in the base, Cal straightened his tie and made other small adjustments to his uniform.

Behind him, Ebony inspected his belongings, peering at pictures, climbing the walls and examining the light fixtures, flipping through books and anything else that caught her interest. She squawked suddenly. Cal whirled in time to see her take a flying leap off a shelf and catch an ornament her waving tail had knocked off the shelf.

"Sorry Cal." she sent, hunched in embarrassment.

He hid a smile, but he knew she felt that he was not angry.

_Come on, we should hurry._

She climbed the wall, put the little wooden carving back and followed him out. In the hall, Ebony put her hand into Cal's. She was still very young, he thought, probably early teens. Her mind seemed to mature faster than her body. Since he first really saw the little Xenomorph, she had grown at least a foot and a half taller and had added probably three feet to her length. She was much sleeker looking, slender and lacking any baby roundness that she once had.

"Will You Come Into The Hive When We Get Back There? I Want You To Meet Some Of The Praetorians And Drones."

_I'm not sure that's a good idea._

"Oh, They Will Not Hurt You! Mother And I Will Not Let Them. Some Of Them Are So Nice. But Not Ora. He Is Mean. I Don't Like Him. Once, He Tried To Swat Me When I Was Younger. I Was Only Playing With His Tail."

Triumph crept into her mental voice.

"Mother Was Very Angry. So Was Father. He Swatted Ora Right Back. Mother Told Him If He Ever Tried To Hurt Me Again, She Would Kill Him."

_I thought that no one could disobey the Queen?_

"He Cannot Now That Mother Told Him To Stop. But The Praetorians Can Do Things Like That. I Suppose I Was Annoying Him. Humans Are Much More Disobedient Than Any Praetorian. Ora Is A Very Dominant Praetorian-" Ebony stopped babbling.

_What is it?_

"I… I Feel Something Wrong. Something Angry."

She cringed, dropping to a crouch, sniffing the air.

"Cal? Get A Weapon." X-13 sent. "General Bowie Announced The Truce And Some Of The Soldiers Are Not Happy.

_I don't have one. The armoury is far away._

"Then Protect My Daughter As Best As You Can."

…..

General Bowie looked over the soldiers. They gripped their weapons.

"I said stand down! I am your commanding officer! Now!"

"We don't need someone who wants to throw us all to the Bugs! You've gone Xeno mad!"

He weighed his options for escape. There were not a terribly huge amount of men who were openly opposed. A couple dozen at most. He had more than enough open supporters. The only problem was that most of them were not there. They were in the other end of the large base, far away.

"I will give you one last chance to stand down!"

They were at a precarious position. If one person started the revolt then the rest would follow. If one person backed down, the rest would follow. Humans were pack animals and most were followers. Leaders were not common, but once the followers found one, they would stick by them through anything, doing things they would never dream of doing on their own.

"Put Down Your Weapons!" X-13 yelled in their minds, sending all of her considerable will behind the statement. But, humans were different than Xenomorphs. Some people wavered, but the rest panicked.

"The Bug Queen is in my fuckin' mind!" screamed a soldier. And then all hell broke loose.

…..

One barrelled into the room with a snarl, causing the humans to hesitate just long enough. Long enough for the King to grab the General and whisk him away. Shots rang out, peppering the wall behind the fleeing Xenomorph's tail. X-13 joined them, slamming doors shut behind One, buying them time.

"What the hell do I do now?! You've just taken me further away from the armouries and the soldiers who don't think I'm insane!"

X-13 flashed a grin. "I Have A Plan. You Have Night-Vision Goggles In The Armouries?"

"Yeah."

"Then I Will Tell Them To Put On The Goggles And We Will Fight Like Xenomorphs. Quick And Fast. While I Instruct Them, You Must Find The Power Controls And Turn Off The Lights."

Bowie swore.

"All right. I'll do it, but only because I have no other choice. I still think it's crazy to trust Xenos." he finally muttered.

"And I Think It Is Crazy To Trust Humans. We Are Even."

As Bowie shook his head and stumped off, X-13 sat down, shutting her eyes to block any distractions and let her mind drift.

…..

Finding one human mind was easy. So was finding a group. But finding a specific group within a group, minds that she had never experienced closely before was hard. Human minds were different from Xenomorph minds. The Alien's minds were orderly, thinking of only a few things at once, clear and neat. Humans thought about multiple things, tides of thought rising and falling, tangents developing, random images bubbling to the surface, blooms of color… It was confusing and impossible to read. X-13 did her best, picking up general intentions and trains of thought that were clearer than the rest, but truthfully, it was impossible to look in a human mind and read it like a book. And these soldiers minds were all filled with violent images and tendencies. That route was no good. So was finding those that hated Xenomorphs; most of them feared if not outright hated Xenos. Eventually, she was able to sort out those who would be their allies as compared to those that were their enemies. She began sending them her ideas for neutralizing those who rebelled.

…..

_I don't know how things always seem to go so bad so quickly when you guys are involved._ Cal thought to Ebony.

The little Xenomorph shrugged and curled up tighter.

_Do you know what's happening?_

"Mother Is Making A Plan. She Is Going To Have The Bad Prey Captured By The Good Prey." She paused and thought a moment. "If Any Prey Can Be Good."

_What about me?_

"You Are Not Prey! You Are Friend. Oh, Mother Is Going To Have The Lights Turned Off. If You Want To Move, I Will Have To Be Your Eyes Again."

_Um, okay._

On cue, the lights went out, leaving them in total darkness. A sense of excitement flooded into his mind.

"Now The Bad Prey Will Pay!" she sent gleefully.

She jumped up, her chitinous side leaving Cal's.

He could hear her claws skittering over the floor. He felt slightly disoriented, remembering the last time he was left in the dark. He sat there, grinning slightly as Ebony squeaked and squealed, dancing up and down the floor, obviously following the progress of the supposed rebellion.

But in the darkness, sudden as summer thunder, came the unmistakable pop and stutter of machinegun fire.

…..

One slunk through the blackness, feeling better than he had in days. This was where he belonged! Being near so many humans was difficult. He had grown up killing them, he had claimed his first human victim at birth! For years they had been his primary source of food and now they were his primary source of fear. He was no longer in a large Hive, filled with hundreds of powerful Drones and dozens of deadly Praetorians, on a planet where humans were the minority. He wasn't sharing a mind with the rest of the Praetorians, safe from sudden thoughts and worries.

He was King of a small Hive on a planet where they were the minority. He was in responsible for the lives of nearly fifty Xenomorphs. He was not used to anything like the current situation; he was not programmed to cope with this! Xenomorph Kings were not made to think and plan and plot; they were the enforcers for the Queen. They were packed with adrenaline, had hair-trigger tempers and ultra-thick armour.

They were made for fighting, but for X-13, One would do anything. He tried very hard to curb his natural rage and so far, it was working. But it still felt good to let himself go, even though he was not allowed to kill unless they tried to kill him first. X-13 was clear on that.

He slowed, paused, and thrust a hand around the corner. The heat, pressure and electricity sensors on it revealed that there were four soldiers waiting around the corner.

:MATRIARCH? SHALL WE?: he asked, baring his teeth ferally in the dark.

"Of Course." she sent back.

It felt good to be hunting beside X-13 again.

…..

They began moving around the group in a traditional pincer manoeuvre; the only difference was that they approached from the ceiling. Humans were not programmed to look up for danger, something the Xenomorphs exploited almost every time. Perhaps professional Bug Hunters were trained to expect such things, but in the darkness, gripped by primitive fear dating back when humans were small creatures, prone to disappearing in the night with a shriek and a crunch of bones, it was easy to forget. And forgetting meant death.

:THEY ARE SO AFRAID, MATRIARCH. SO WEAK.:

"Yes. It Is Easy To Want To Kill, But We Must Not. No. Bowie Wants Them Alive To Face Human Justice, If They Have Any." She paused a moment. "I Am Sure We Could Still Feel Their Blood On Our Claws. We Must Keep Them From Fighting And Not All Will Submit Quietly."

They leaped. It was nearly completely black, the only light coming from the flashlights mounted on the barrels of their guns. They were aimed at chest height; the only problem was that the threat did not come from the ground. The humans heard the Xenomorph's claws rasp on the ceiling as they left it but by the time they looked up, three were already down. The fourth frantically back-pedalled, firing his gun in short bursts.

X-13 and One leaped out of the way, splitting apart.

One screamed, drawing the soldier's attention.

The gun came up, when movement out of the corner of his eye brought his head snapping back around.

"Boo." X-13 said, hurling herself at him.

His head hit the floor, knocking him out. Human skulls were so weak. After a quick check, X-13 determined he likely had a mild concussion. They dragged them together, binding their hands together tightly with wiring torn from a computer panel. They trotted along the hall, since the building was largely Xenomorph-proofed.

…..

In another part of the building, soldiers crept along the halls. They wore night-vision goggles, painting the world in eerie shades of green and white. They did not like the situation they were in. They were against many of their own friends, who made a poor choice, driven to stupidity because of a hatred they could not suppress. When Bugs were involved, people always acted stupidly.

It was not for no reason; many had lost friends or family members to them. Some of the creeping men had suffered because of the Xenomorphs, but they were not blinded by their losses like the others. They would do their duty, reluctantly, but it would be done. They trusted General Bowie's decision. He did not seem Xeno-mad to them.

The Xeno Queen, X-13 had been pleased to discover that they were trained for stealth operations like this; she had not had to tell them what to do. It had creeped them out when she had plucked that bit of knowledge from their minds. But, they recognized that she was a good commander. So they followed her plan.

One soldier stuck his helmet on the end of his gun and poked it around the corner.

Nothing.

He cautiously headed around the corner.

Gunfire sputtered!

He screamed, going down in the hail of bullets. Evidently, they were not the only ones who had the night-vision goggles. They charged around the corner, firing right back. Two of the rebels went down in moments.

When they stopped, three soldiers were dead and four rebels. Another rebel was bleeding to death.

They gritted their teeth and continued on.

…..

As the King and Queen of the Hive ran lithely down the corridor, a door burst open behind them.

They whirled.

Another group of soldiers charged out, a few with night-vision goggles, though they were not allies. One rolled something towards the Xenos.

X-13 glanced at it.

It exploded with a flash and an ear-splitting _BANG_!

X-13 and One recoiled with identical screeches of agony, lurching away. Xenomorphs, while already having exquisite hearing, were also very sensitive to vibrations, essentially making their entire bodies primitive ears. Sudden, loud sounds were agony to them.

One screamed again as they began firing. He hurled himself in front of X-13! Bullets ricocheted off his armour, knocking off chips of chitin. Several sank into his flesh! He snatched X-13 up, threw her to the side and charged.

One grabbed a female human, slammed his tongue through her skull, tossed her away.

His tail arced up, forward and down, stabbed through a man and swung back, screaming and twitching human still impaled on the barb.

The enraged King jumped, landing on another.

The soldier slammed One in the jaw with the butt of his gun, fending off his bite.

His six-fingered hands constricted, talons digging into the man's shoulders and chest. One finished off the hollering human by biting, sinking his teeth into his face and crunching through bone.

Slowly, the Xeno got up, his long, phallic head turning towards the last person.

A growl rippled out of his throat.

One absently lashed his tail, flicking off the gurgling human still impaled. He paced over, ignoring the blood dripping out of his wounds.

The soldier cowered, holding her gun before herself like a shield.

"Drop It." hissed a female voice.

She did.

X-13 stepped around One, picked up the gun and performed a quick check. After a moment, she ejected the clip and threw it away. The gun was smashed on the floor.

"Hold Out Your Hands."

Mutely, she obeyed.

X-13 bound them with wire, and then moved to her feet.

"Are You Badly Hurt?" asked X-13, pressing her forehead to One's, caressing his face once the woman was immobilized.

:NOT TOO BADLY.: he replied. :THEY DID NOT USE BAD BULLETS AND THE GUNS WERE TOO WEAK TO PUNCTURE OFTEN OR DEEPLY.:

Nevertheless, X-13 examined him.

"Sit." commanded X-13.

He sat, flexing his sore jaw a few times. She passed her hand over his chitin, hissing softly through her teeth as she encountered every new chip or scratch. A few skin-sheds would remove those, but she felt bad anyways. His bullet wounds were not too numerous and like he said, not deep either. Mere flesh-wounds for the most part.

One got up. He moved gracefully, but she could tell he was still in pain. Shooting a last, hate filled glance at the human woman, X-13 followed her mate out.

"General? I Believe The Threat Has Been Neutralized."

_Hah… Neutralized… you've been listening to too many soldier minds. Can I turn the lights back on?_

"Of Course."

_Good. I hate the dark. _After a few minutes, the lights clicked back on.

"Let's Find Ebony and Cal."

…..

Cal walked through the halls, Ebony leading. She was now able to broadcast images in his mind, though they were still fairly limited. Mostly, she still just warned him. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on again.

_Oh good._ He blinked rapidly, clearing the spots from his vision.

"Mother Will Be Coming To Get Us Soon. The Bad Prey Have Been Captured Or Killed." The little Xenomorph hopped ahead lightly.

Cal hurried up, following her to wherever X-13 and One were.

All of a sudden, Ebony screeched and fled, hiding behind Cal.

Ariana Hyde stepped out of a door, a horrible grin plastered on her scarred face. She was armed with a rather nasty looking knife.

"Hello Cal. We meet again."

He backed away, saying, "How the hell did you get out?! I thought you were going to LV-506!"

"Oh, one of the soldiers felt bad. They thought I had the right idea, killing the Bugs. No one intelligent wants to be allied with those things."

She looked down. Ebony was peering around Cal.

"Ah. Still hanging out with the little one, I see. I think I'll kill her first. I'll love watching your face while I rip out her fucking tongue. Of course, her blood with destroy my knife, so you get to be strangled." Hyde grinned manically.

"Get away."

"Why? I kicked your ass before. It shouldn't be any different now."

"Stay Away Prey, Or I Will Tear Out Your Throat!"

Hyde flinched a bare moment and then burst out laughing.

Ebony screeched at her, claws raised.

Abruptly, Hyde stopped laughing, turned and punched Cal in the face.

He toppled, Ebony jumping out of the way.

"KILL YOU!" she screamed. She threw herself at the Bug Hunter, causing her to stumble. Ebony was much bigger now. Hyde gripped her face in one hand, keeping the little Xeno from opening her mouth and slashed with the other!

Ebony ducked in time, but it still scored a long line along her skull.

She screamed in pain! Hyde snarled and threw Ebony off of her. She leaned back on her shoulders and flicked out her legs, hopping neatly to her feet.

Ebony lay crumpled on the ground, one hand pressed against the gash on her head. Hyde raised a booted foot, ready to smash it into the Alien. Ebony shot her arms up, catching the boot. She sank her teeth into Hyde's bony ankle. The woman yelled and tried to shake her off, but she hung on like a bony black bulldog. Suddenly, the Bug Hunter remembered she had a knife. She aimed it towards Ebony's eye, but the Xeno darted away.

She rubbed the wound on her head, took it away and eyed the blood on it. A sly smile crept over her mouth, showing glittering, metallic teeth.

"Here!" she sent, leaping for Hyde's face again.

The woman yelped, brought her arms up to keep her away, but Ebony still managed to get her bloody hand through, smearing acid all over Hyde's face. She screamed in agony, falling over, scrubbing at her sizzling face with her sleeves.

Ebony sat and watched, her dark eyes emotionless, her bony chest heaving.

Finally, the horrible noise stopped, leaving Ariana Hyde motionless except for her breathing. She seemed to have passed out, a mercy.

Cal got up slowly from where he had been sitting, pop-eyed. He peered at her face and recoiled. It was a horrible, seared mess, the nose nothing but a pair of holes, one eye missing, and an empty socket in its place. Her melted bone protruded through her dissolved flesh. It wasn't pretty. Cal turned away before he could throw up.

_Is she going to die?_

"She Should Not. It Was Only Her Face. And She Is Pregnant. I Will Not Hurt An Innocent Child."

_I had no idea you could fight like that._

Ebony tossed her head, pleased with the comment. Drops of blood flew. Cal back-pedalled.

_Watch out!_

"Sorry. Oh, Mother And Father Are Almost Here."

He shuddered and turned away from Hyde's mutilated body. X-13 and One stepped out of the same door the Bug Hunter had come through only a few minutes earlier. The King was wounded. Yellowish blood oozed out of several bullet holes, but he moved without obvious pain.

X-13 immediately noticed the unconscious woman, baring her teeth in rage, contorting her usually peaceful face into something terrifying.

She circled, obviously speaking to Ebony, though not allowing Cal to hear, tilting and moving her head and gesturing.

One grunted, exhaling, and nuzzled his daughter with what was probably pride.

"Come Cal, It Is Time We Met With Your General Bowie. Now, Perhaps We Will Actually Be Able To Go Home." X-13 said.

…..

"Thank you for your help, X-13." Bowie said, sounding as though his teeth hurt to utter such words to an Alien.

"I Promised I Would Help."

The older man shook his head, "I can't believe my own men would do something so stupid. They _knew_ they wouldn't get away with it."

"Humans Always Act Stupidly Around My Kind." the hybrid replied.

Bowie sighed and rubbed his beard. _You did good, Xeno._ he sent to her, not wanting Cal and the other soldiers to hear. _Better than most of my men. They killed too many that I would have preferred alive for their trial._

A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.

"They Did Their Best."

"The plane is ready, X-13." Bowie said aloud.

She nodded, grabbed Ebony's hand and began walking up the ramp, One slinking afterwards, her bodyguard.

Cal followed, turning and snapped a salute at the top. The door closed.

They were going home.


End file.
